NHL: Baby Pens and Sens
In our final installment on the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins' recent rookie tournament in Kitchener, Ontario, McKeen's correspondent Gus Katsaros provides notes on several prospects from the Penguins and Senators including Luca Caputi (pictured), the Penguins fourth round choice from 2007.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Advertisement
Gianluca Caputi, LW
Hunched-over skating style made the Toronto native look a little awkward, but gets good speed after a lackluster startup stride .. smart enough to understand where the puck will eventually end up and goes there instead of chasing behind it .. good offensive awareness and positioning in the zone .. makes good passes to streaking teammates and identifies quick breaks out of his zone to streak along the wing .. loves going behind the goal line and works well down low, cycling and eluding checking defenders .. can be predictable at times, especially if he's starting from a static position behind the net .. very cerebral player that wasn't dressed for the second game against the Panthers.
Soo Greyhounds sniper lost both faceoffs in the first minute of the game against the Panthers and struggled overall in the circle in the first two games .. good defensive awareness and claims a man in coverage, not just aimlessly covering a 'zone' or floating aimlessly .. looks for open space in the offensive zone without stopping, and keeps his feet moving .. physical in spurts when the occasion calls for it, but doesn't really initiate contact along the boards .. good skater, both in transition and straightaway .. played in every situation throughout the tournament as the Penguins first-line center .. deceptive shot, quick release and accurate .. unique ability to sneak in behind the defense from the weak side – similar to Shawn Matthias – is his bread and butter in getting to the net unobstructed and undetected for rebounds and tips .. cycles well, although tries to rush it a little too early and breaks the rhythm .. very impressive two-way skills with upside on the offensive side, as long as he can increase his urgency a bit to match the game around him instead of trying to slow it down or control its pace.
Nick Johnson, RW
First unit powerplay winger and former Dartmouth forward found himself playing on the first line with Dustin Jeffrey and even played as a penalty-killing unit .. plays a 'safe' defensive game, chipping the puck out of the zone and making sure to break the plane of the blueline, forcing the opposition to leave the defensive zone while chasing the puck outside in the neutral zone .. can miss obvious outlets with this kind of safe game and missed some streaking teammates and good rushing opportunities .. can sometimes take too long to get off on line changes .. wide skating stride, semi-horseshoe, generating good speed, despite unspectacular first-step explosiveness .. battles along the boards protecting the puck but is a little soft and ineffective relegating himself between the puck and the opposition while using ineffective stickchecks in moments where some body would be more effective .. could use some upper body strength and be more aggressive physically .. has a tendency to wander into teammates skating lanes and doesn't make an effort to spread it out or find open space .. was given a good look with top prospects on the top line in every situation.
Nathan Moon, C
Tentative and rushed the play - losing the puck a lot in the process .. can be stationary waiting for a pass or for the play to come to him, instead of finding open scoring areas and creating his own scoring chances .. should keep his feet moving but doesn't and floats instead of working hard .. was caught stationary in the neutral zone trying to stickcheck the rushing defenseman, only to be burned when he blew by him .. had a lively scrap with Mike Duco during an altercation leading to a line change .. has a good shot, but missed showing off a big-time-offensive game at this level .. will be hard-pressed to be promoted and likely headed back to the Frontenacs for his third junior term.
Penguins second round selection in 2004 is coming off a breakout campaign in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last season .. was arguably the best defender in the entire tournament .. displayed a healthy and active physical edge, attacking the opposition with zeal along the boards and in front of the net .. uses his body and stick effectively while defending - leveraging both off each other .. very fluid in every motion, rushing, shooting and faking-out the opposition .. excellent skater and responds to speed of the threat backwards and forwards, as he closes up space off the rush, although he has trouble with some pivots .. however, with a never say die attitude and effort, any shortcomings are made up .. glowing will to battle it out along the boards .. elusive if he gets a step on the forechecker and out of the zone .. good outlet passer, stretching the opposition forwards and defensemen - exposing gaps in the neutral zone .. excellent vision and not afraid to experiment on the ice - trying different ways of generating offensive breakouts and opportunities .. excellent maneuverability in tight spaces .. not afraid of rough work, taking exception to a late hit against teammate by Panthers rookie McArdle, as he was willing to confront and get into the players face .. dynamic talent that could see NHL duty with Ryan Whitney sidelined until January.
Should keep his stick on the ice instead of at the waist so that pucks don't just zing by him .. big body, lacks balance and agility as well as being an unspectacular skater .. missing first-step explosiveness and any top-end speed .. doesn't always drive with his big body and stops moving his feet in all zones .. plays mostly a perimeter game, missing the willingness to go into dirty areas and use his size and strength to stand in front of the net as a screen or battle out with defenders .. knocked-off the puck too easily for his size .. used as a lone forward to kill off a two-man advantage, as his wide-ranging wingspan covers a lot of the passing lanes - forcing alternatives on the penalty kill .. has a good shot, used sparingly .. protects the puck well, and finds his teammates effectively, but missing elite skills to put the entire package together.
Ben Lovejoy, D
Undrafted rearguard was very lively all tournament .. excellent skater, elusive and exhibiting a good ability to rush with the puck .. makes plays jumping into the rush and supporting it very effectively .. a good long-range, outlet passer by stretching out forecheckers by finding streaking teammates very well .. excellent vision, ability to execute his imagination and to protect the puck with elusive moves or protecting the puck with his body positioning .. spry and light on his skates .. doesn't hesitate to jump into the rush, although he can sometimes leave his teammates to cover up with no regard of defensive responsibility when there is an offensive opportunity .. could be a bit more selective on picking his spots to get into the rush, or leading it .. good awareness of defensive positioning in his own zone, and has a good approach in his transition game .. not afraid of getting dirty or of the physical work.
Alex Grant, D
Didn't shy away from contact and initiated it a lot on stray forwards .. covers the entire ice and doesn't let players sneak behind him .. has good defensive awareness and presence of mind to be aware of his surroundings .. steps into the offense a lot, as he took quite a few chances that didn't pan out, but he doesn't have the wheels to get back into position right away .. could have been just trying to impress management, although he didn't have the same impact all the way through the tournament .. was scratched in the second game against Florida.
Jake Muzzin, D
Good defensively, reads the play for positioning very well .. will sacrifice being hit to make the play and especially to get the puck out of the zone if there isn't a proper outlet .. first unit penalty-killer and covers the crease and immediate area very effectively .. not the greatest skater but gets to where he has to be .. good shot blocker, no fear and gets down and up quickly .. demonstrated a hesitation in letting it go from the point and that double-clutching cost scoring opportunities, as skaters are caught out of position for tips and rebounds .. should blast it when he has the opportunity, as he has a decent hard, low shot.
Ottawa Senators
The 23-year old Swedish rearguard struggled at this tournament, missing quick feet and some top-end speed as a result .. had difficulty skating in transition from forward to backwards .. has to make quicker decisions with the puck and look for outlets instead of making rushed decisions that lead to low percentage, high-risk plays .. soft physically, taken out by much smaller opponents and losing his balance with a lot of the contact encountered through the games .. seems to be missing a sense of urgency and pace for this level of play, despite getting a taste of the North American game with a two-game stint in Binghamton last season .. has a good pointshot and decent ability on the point, finding outlets down low in the zone and keeping the puck in at the line .. good outlet passer, although didn't attempt many long stretch passes .. AHL bound for seasoning.
Jesse Winchester, C/LW
Had a brief audition in the NHL with a one-game debut after a successful season at Colgate University .. demonstrated good hands stickhandling with the puck through the neutral zone .. when coming back in defensive coverage he watches the puck instead of picking a man, or covering a space .. good, quick hands and smart decisions on the offensive side of the puck .. needs to upgrade his physical game, both initializing contact and protecting the puck .. long reach affords him space to move and hold the puck far from his body, although he pinholes himself, stopping and not moving his feet, pivoting and remaining stationary instead of getting to clear ice, passing it off or looking for the next play .. has to be quicker with pace to adapt to the faster NHL game, making decisions quicker .. has to keep his feet moving to be effective, or else he gets caught flatfooted, despite above-average offensive creativity and vision .. likely bound for a top-six audition to start the season, and may end up with some time in Binghamton.
Still plays a high center position in the offensive zone, and doesn't get involved very much in the play down low in the zone, hindering an effective cycle movement, but creating an outlet up the middle .. disguises intentions very well, and is crafty moving through the neutral zone with shoulder fakes, hand movements and slick skating changes of direction .. has trouble with the speed of the game it seems from an offensive perspective, seemingly a step behind the play, although he maintains his defensive stature .. missing soft hands, quickness and limited offensive creativity, which only surfaces in spurts, enough to deceive, but not enough to be considered a top-six talent .. has to become more involved in the play in the offensive zone .. could be relegated to a third-line potential as an effective checking center.
Jim O'Brien, C/LW
First round selection in 2007 (29th overall) had some Jekyll and Hyde moments throughout the tournament, starting off a little slow, but gaining momentum with each shift .. unbalanced on his skates with a wide horseshoe skating stride, he could upgrade his overall skating ability .. long reach with great wingspan allows him to cover many lanes defensively .. takes direct routes to his checks in the offensive zone, using his stick to limit outlet possibilities and his big frame to impose a physical will .. has a lumbering stride, although he lacks foot speed, and isn't a great skater .. has to be more aware of his surroundings and limit drop passes to open space where no one is occupying .. lack of elite offensive vision, but has a top-notch shot, that is strong and accurate with a lightning quick release – particularly from a tightly confined space that he can get off while in stride .. another Sens player that can play a little high in the offensive zone .. could have a conditioning issue as well, as he seems to tire very quickly on each shift, yet he is right back on the ice after a short break .. fell down a lot, kind of unbalanced early in the tournament, but straightened out as the games wore on .. has good high-end speed once he gets going with good acceleration from a continuous motion .. displayed his quick release while crossing over into the slot scoring the Sens third goal against the Leafs on a bullet from just between the faceoff circles .. can improve his skating stride, balance and will benefit from some AHL seasoning.
Peter Regin, C
Didn't stand out in the first period against the Panthers in the tournament opening game, and didn't play in the biggest situations, although he registered an assist on the Senators first goal .. excellent play on the Sens third goal to draw the defender to him in the offensive zone, creating an opening while rushing down the center/right, and flipped a nice saucer pass to his linemate for the one-timer .. very intelligent use of space and patience, as the goaltender had no chance .. soft hands and excellent vision .. neutral zone gaffe in the third led to a curious penalty where he used his stick to haul down his check after giving it away on a play that could have led to a rush back in his own end .. has to get better control of his stick .. used as a primary penalty killer with good defensive awareness, although he has a tendency to be mesmerized by the puck instead of looking for a man to cover in his own zone .. has a chance at making the Senators out of camp at least for an audition.
Ilya Zubov, LW
Second rookie camp for the gifted Russian who put on a stickhandling and puck possession clinic most of the tournament .. great vision and smart decision-making on the powerplay, forcing defenders back and dishing it off to the open man and moving to clear ice to become a better outlet .. deceptive shot, gets it off quickly, especially in prime scoring positions in the slot .. catalyst on the powerplay, often controlled from the half-boards and setting up the play from there .. could upgrade his defensive awareness and should get a little tougher physically as he fills out, minimizing being knocked off the puck and bounced off the boards too easily .. took the faceoffs in the offensive zone for the PP .. plays with a short stick, good for stickhandling, bad for puck recovery .. seems to need some support in order to make things happen, and doesn't work well on his own, a plus as he uses his teammates very well, not operating in a bubble .. set him up with a decent partner and he could be a magician .. excellent capitalizing on a turnover, picking the corner on the Leafs goalie, with a quick, accurate wristshot .. deserves audition in the show, and could be a top-six forward by season's end.
Mississauga St. Michaels Majors star appearing in his second rookie tournament put on a show with some excellent offensive skills, quick, soft hands, and an ability to get the puck to dance off his stick .. willing to get into dirty areas on the powerplay (with a 2-man advantage he stood in the slot) and looks for rebounds .. yappy and scrappy about a late hit on a teammate .. good, slick moves in the offensive zone making a play between-his-legs-off-his-skate move in tight space to maneuver around a bigger defenseman, a move that takes gusto and creativity to attempt in the offensive zone at high speed .. can be a bit of a sloppy skater, especially in his start up but gets back defensively when there appears to be urgency in the need to get back and cover up defensively .. excellent shot, especially from the point, where he had a knack of getting the puck on net .. using his stick to retrieve a loose puck in the offensive zone when there wasn't an option otherwise led to a penalty, and he has to be wearier of using lumber when his body would have been a better option .. although at 5-foot-11, and 181 pounds, preservation can trump physicality .. an up and coming talent.