OHL: Battochio Recipe

Notes from a recent game between the Ontario Hockey League’s Ottawa 67’s and the Plymouth Whalers.

Bryan Bickell (2004) LW, Ottawa

Initiates contact and loves to take the body .. no-nonsense in his approach, feisty and mean .. good vision and excellent playmaking skills .. skating stride is somewhat laid back, unless he reaches full speed .. I’d like to see more urgency to his game, he’ll hammer a guy with a bone-crunching check and then relax and conserve energy for the next hit instead of looking to chip in offensively .. very confident and poised .. decision-making skills aren’t yet well-honed, needs to think quicker and utilize his first step .. big body can be like an immovable object .. really attacks the net, but should not be afraid to make the extra pass instead of settling for a low-percentage shot .. Nice, big reach .. should focus more on scoring and less on agitation .. not making a lot of friends on the ice, which is not at all bad, but it’s costing him points .. complete package and we can’t say that he’s not enjoying himself.

Vaclav Meidl (2004) C, Plymouth

A wasted, forgettable evening .. sat for much of the game and then got into a fight with the 67’s Robbie Lawrence late in the third .. falls down too much for my liking and a bit too rough on his turns .. great puck skills and control, but he’s not yet very strong on the puck .. does not drive to the net nearly enough to amass goals.

Peter Tsimikalis (2004) C, Ottawa

I love this kid’s game – the upside is not huge, but he’s got heart .. an energetic two-way pivot is chippy with a good first step and vision .. I like his poise with the puck and his good reach .. very aware of the movement of the game and knows where to get the puck to his teammates .. mostly a playmaker, but has a crisp wrister and goes to the net effectively .. underrated skater with a good burst of speed, but isn’t a speedster .. showed nifty stickhandling moves and creativity on a dangerous end-to-end rush .. can stand up for himself and handles the physical aspects well too .. makes things happen and creates space for himself .. hustles at all times, never seems to stop and do nothing .. his acceleration has improved greatly since last year .. could make an ideal third-line type in the NHL.

Danny Battochio (2004) G, Ottawa

Ottawa’s Lukas Mensator is away to join the Czech World Junior roster, as his backup Battochio has taken over .. a late ’85-born player was undrafted, but made the best of a tryout with the 67’s at camp and impressed enough to make the team .. a downright steal, had a .918 sv % in ten games going into this match (where he stopped 22 of 23 shots) .. plays a very sound, composed technique .. plays a solid butterfly style and stays very square to the shooter .. excellent flexibility and is quick going up-and-down on his feet .. great leg speed, challengers shooters and cuts down angels well .. calm and composed .. only downside seems to be his lack of exposure .. tough one to beat down low .. stopped a partial breakaway stretching out with a serpentine extension .. Solid glovehand.

Gino Pisellini (2004) LW, Plymouth

Considering the way he piles up those PIMs, you’d think he was physical, but that is not so .. lower body/arm strength need work and he does not win enough battles for the puck to create anything offensively .. I don’t see a great burst of speed, although he is a fluid skater, yet so laissez-faire, it’s hard to tell how good his top speed is .. a decent playmaker, but does not generate anything .. does not go far when the puck is given to him, easily gets outmuscled and contained .. gets into scraps, but not by virtue of physical toughness .. I see shades of skill here, but he plays like his mind is elsewhere.

David Halasz (2004) D, Ottawa

Draft-eligible rearguard with noticeable holes to his game .. moves well laterally and positioning has improved since previous viewing .. not physical, but knows his role well, which is mainly stay-at-home .. I don’t see good hockey sense, decision-making abilities are questionable .. blew a glorious chance fanning on a slapshot on a deserted blueline.

David Liffiton (Col) D, Plymouth

Good top speed, agility and strength .. ties up his man well along the boards and is a defensive force in front of the net .. has a blistering slapshot from the blueline and is willing to use it .. strong on the puck and clears space well for his teammates.

Elgin Reid (2005) D, Ottawa

16-year old is gradually improving .. fanned on a pass and gave the puck away, but made up for it by taking the attacker out with the body .. I see an excellent skater, but his puck skills need work, especially passing and clearing his end .. showing his age, in other words a boy among older boys.