OHL: 61 Leads 67’s

McKeen's correspondent Gus Katsaros was recently on hand to see the Ottawa 67's square off against the Mississauga St. Michael's Majors and has notes on several 67's, including No. 61, defenseman Tyler Cuma, who is currently ranked No. 22 on McKeen's midterm rankings for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Tyler Cuma (2008), D, Ottawa 67's

The projected first rounder at six-foot-two and 182 pounds uses his body very well and often – along the wall covering his man, and sticking to him in defensive zone coverage .. Does not use his stick to check, but impedes opposition forwards by getting his body in the way in the defensive zone .. first unit powerplay (and penalty killing) pointman, is the main puck rusher with a decent hard, low shot .. could question his offensive instincts when on the powerplay having two clear outlets – his point partner and the forward on the half-boards – he chose to shoot the puck into empty ice in the corner, keeping the puck in the zone, but not using the outlets to their full advantage .. could be lack of vision, or the necessity to keep the puck active in the opposition zone .. gets excellent first-step backward acceleration from a giant wide arc, getting up to speed quickly .. could improve his lateral movement .. finds long outlets better than short passes, although he struggled in this area against the St. Michaels Majors, being a reflection of teammate's breakout inconsistency rather than his ability .. plays the man a lot and covers down low odd-man advantages effectively, taking away passing lanes .. late in the first period, on a broken play coming out of the zone while on the powerplay, he turned back to start the play over reading the coverage in the neutral zone, but threw it across the blueline where partner Demers bobbled it, causing a shorthanded chance the other way .. Ottawa's breakouts were horrible in this game, with another long outlet pass that missed the man, turning into the third icing on the same powerplay .. could sometimes be led out of position with a quick play away from his man while trying to finish his check .. two bad giveaways in the middle frame, with the second one right next to his goal .. blossoming talent that could flourish with an upgrade to his supporting cast and some bulking up to the 200-plus range.

Julien Demers (2008), D, Ottawa 67's

Physical, throwing around his 215-pound frame extensively, although sometimes overly aggressive, and overextending, looking for the big hit and putting himself out of position .. good instincts following checks into the defensive zone and staying close enough to pounce on his man, yet far enough to satisfy in-close zone coverage .. good backwards acceleration and excellent balance .. excellent Bryan McCabe-like-butt-check along the boards, taking the man out and himself as well, having to scramble back .. second unit penalty killer .. bobbled a pass across from Cuma with the man-advantage and lost it to the forechecking forward right outside of the blueline before losing his balance, leading to the play going back into the zone, and luckily not resulting in a scoring chance .. his was as much a reflection of the ill-timed pass, as it was the defenders forward motion, with the puck not quite caught up to him in the first place.

Thomas Nesbitt (2008), RW, Ottawa 67's

Singular vision missing a shot attempt, with an outlet for a short pass and better scoring opportunity .. good skater, decent stops/starts, while looking lazy in some strides .. really wide skating strides almost like a horseshoe shape with his legs .. finds his spot in defensive zone coverage inside the top of the circle and does not really 'cover' anyone, just watches the puck .. this could be a setup issue or a system-oriented flaw, although the reputation of Ottawa coach Brian Kilrea squelches the latter theory .. could close the gap on coverage or upgrade his first-step acceleration .. had a spirited scrap .. good burst of speed recovering a puck in the offensive zone, although he lost his balance when hitting top-end speed.

Cody Lindsay (2008), C, Ottawa 67's

Diminutive pivot at 5-foot-9 and 184-pounds .. had a mixed day where he followed up a good play with an effort left scratching your head .. early in the first, he followed the defensive play down low as the center supporting the defense very well, covering up holes left by defensemen who went after opposition forwards behind the goal line, only to skate up and down the middle not contributing much in second period .. smartly uses body positioning in coverage along the boards .. should make a decision on defensive zone coverage and stick to it, no indecisive decisions skating down the wing with a rusher in the middle and another player close by .. looked like he hurt his leg in the second period but stayed in the game .. with time and enough maneuverable space, he turned and tossed the puck up ice, producing an icing .. was this a panic decision due to an overly long shift, or didn't he realize there was a play to be made .. questions arise on his decision-making and effort this game.

Adam Zamec (2008), LW, Ottawa 67's

Took a bad first period penalty on a nothing play .. buried on the Kitchener fourth line and resurrected in Ottawa where he plays top-six minutes, one year removed from his draft year (2007) .. decent speed once he gets going, but has an awful skating stride, which is hurtful to the eyes .. just missed on a creative outlet pass to a streaking Jamie McGinn, a smart play if it worked out, and a respectable attempt .. seemed to have some offensive creativity, but until his skating improves, it's unlikely he could find himself in a professional league

Thomas Kiriakou (f/a), C, Ottawa 67's

Stocky 5-foot-11, 200-pound center has a good grip on the north/south game, a good skater with groovy hands and offensive vision .. follows the puck very well and goes to the net with enthusiasm but does not put in a great effort forechecking in the offensive zone .. does a lot of stick checking and not enough with his body, but does a good job trying to locate open ice and get there .. could show some more passion than just good positioning and decent offensive skills .. plays a role in the system well, but does not show enough passion/urgency to make an impact in a professional league.

Ryan Martindale (2010), C, Ottawa 67's

Lanky 6-foot-3 pivot has a long awkward stride but generates decent speed, while giving a false appearance that he is not working hard .. nice long range shot, low and hard, with a quick release and very little wind up .. ran out of gas very quickly on a shift, a conditioning issue, or more likely attributed to being caught a fraction behind the play, arriving in checking mode just in time for the play to move away from the puckhandler .. the overall package is very intriguing, a good mix of size and skill, which can only improve once he bulks up past 182 pounds .. one to watch for his first year of draft eligibility in 2009.

Chris Perugini (2009), G, Ottawa 67's

Somewhat erratic rebound control where pucks bounce off him, instead of being corralled and held, forcing his defense to work hard at clearing loose pucks and opposition forwards in close .. incorporates a wide stance making himself 'big' when the play is in his zone, and shrinking as the shot comes to him .. hybrid-style goalie, does not drop to the butterfly as his first option .. at 5-foot-9 and 140 pounds, once he drops to his knees, he leaves too much of the upper portion of the net uncovered .. could have better lateral agility telegraphing his post-to-post movements, realizing he stopped just short of hugging the post and adjusting at the last second .. acrobatic display of goaltending in the second period indicating the hybrid style .. came across the crease quickly on Majors first goal, almost getting into position but dropped to his knees a fraction too late .. shows some promise, and will have another year of OHL eligibility to work out kinks and add some weight to a toothpick frame.

Jon Carnevale (2009), RW, Ottawa 67's

A hard-skating winger, giving a full effort on every shift, patrolling the right wing, using his six-foot-frame well along the boards .. aggressive forechecker and worker in the offensive zone .. eligible for next year's draft (2009) and could graduate to an expanded role with the 67's should he maintain his work ethic .. excellent open-ice hit in the middle frame and skated hard all game .. aggressive forechecking gives him an edge to fit a power forward if he can bulk up from 189 pounds .. should he blossom into a front-line player with the 67's, the increased visibility could prompt some GM to use a second round pick to acquire him .. work in progress with another year to prove he is a reliable commodity.