OHL: Bulls-eye Long Playoff Run

Backed by size and strength up front, the Belleville Bulls are projected to go deep into the OHL playoffs. McKeen's Chief correspondent David Burstyn looks at several Bulls, including Bjorn Krupp, Stephen Silas, Brett Mackie, Nick Palmieri, Eric Tangradi and WJC gold medal winner P.K. Subban.

P.K. Subban (Mtl), D, Belleville

A return from Ottawa netted him another gold medal, as he took a more involved role in helping Canada win its fifth consecutive WJC .. played sensational in the game against Russia and gave the Canadians options with his offensive-minded approach to the game .. Subban never wastes an opportunity to jump into the rush .. often his rushes have little rhyme or reason, he just takes off .. his actions are not calculated and have little purpose .. he can 'get away' with it at this level, however his game is far from mature .. he likes to start things by pressing in the neutral zone and looks to break up plays .. his defensive partner, Eric Pageau (the most defensively responsible player on the Bulls roster) constantly has to be alert to guard against odd-man situations as a result .. will start a break out play and can pass on either the fore or backhand side, which is a good thing because he is all over the ice .. he is not graceful on his skates, still awkward in appearance from a fluidity standpoint, nonetheless effective, as he can drive through guys and find openings .. a highly entertaining player who at times, puts on too much of a show .. still tries his spin-o-rama moves with limited success .. oddly enough only did it once while being coached by Pat Quinn during the WJC .. not being challenged at the OHL level, he needs to play against bigger and stronger competition to help round out his game .. in either case, he is looking at a minimum of two to three years in the AHL before he can don the Habitant jersey that is unless he gets moved at the NHL trading deadline.

Bjorn Krupp (2009), D, Belleville

Krupp has picked up his game in recent weeks and is slowly starting to mature into the league .. the sudden exodus by Chicago Blackhawk 4th rounder Shawn Lalonde (reasons unknown) has given Krupp an opportunity to play in key situations, including the PP .. defensively, he still struggles but he is mean and not afraid to assert himself to make a play .. he does play with intensity and has learned to choose his spots better as far as taking advantage of offensive rushes .. his passes are crisp, he handles the puck ok but takes too long to get his shot off .. his skating has improved, so therefore he is playing with more moxy away from the puck and dictating plays as opposed to before where he let them come to him .. decent hands but will not be confused as a puck rushing defenseman .. he does however, compete hard every night and even though his skills are not elite level, he is a character player who should be selected in the mid rounds of the NHL entry draft.

Stephen Silas (2010), D, Belleville

Returned home with a gold medal around his neck after a Team Ontario Under 17 win in Port Alberni, BC .. has struggled since his return recording only two assists in his last 20 games .. not playing with the type of confidence he displayed at the beginning of the year, as he seems very tentative in handling the puck .. his passes are off and on his stick very quickly and are generally of the short variety for fear of getting picked off .. shows good composure for a rookie and plays within his limits showcasing his mature approach to the game .. a good skater with average speed but above-average balance .. Silas has difficulty with his first step, which has lent itself into problems in the defensive zone .. he tries to over compensate by chasing guys down defensively .. he will do the dirty work in the corners and along the boards but he is not overly aggressive, a trait he will need to develop to add layers to his game .. offensively, his shot is a weapon that will be used on the PP with more regularity once Subban graduates.

Brett Mackie (2009), LW, Belleville

Mackie is the sum of his parts, as he does not excel in any particular area .. like most rookies under coach Burnett, he has not been given an opportunity to produce and has not matured on the ice as much as he should .. however, being immersed in a winning environment will help him later on his career to witness first hand what players such as Palmieri, Tingradi and Cameron (all NHL draft picks) do to prepare for games .. limited in terms of being able to create, he does finish his checks and on the forecheck he can churn up loose pucks with his effort .. he is disciplined and plays well within the system .. small but built solid, he uses every ounce of his muscle to pry away loose pucks and defend .. puts forth an honest effort, which has not gone unnoticed by the Bulls coaching staff, as he is viewed as a good glue guy and should get his chance next season to play in more critical minutes.

Nick Palmieri (NJ), RW, Belleville

Hold-out to begin the season, Palmieri did not play his first game until October before being moved to the Bulls at the basement low price of a 2nd and 4th rounder .. his addition gives the Bulls even more size and strength on the wings, as Palmieri (6-2, 215) is one of the biggest players on the roster .. Palmieri has adjusted ok to the Bulls system and asserts himself down low .. stays with plays but can be selfish at times, simply not seeing his option or simply not caring to distribute the puck .. needs to bear down more on his chances, as he backs away in front at times .. needs to use his size effectively in all areas of the ice .. Palmieri would be best suited if he played a Tomas Holmstrom game and get in front of the goalie and live in the crease .. too often, he floats around the ice and does not do as much as he could on account of trying to be more of a finesse player rather than the meat and potatoes guy that he is.

Eric Tangradi (Pit), LW, Belleville

Made recent headlines after being involved in a deal that sent Ryan Whitney to Anaheim along with himself and Chris Kunitz going to Pittsburgh .. second only to John Tavares in OHL scoring and could rival for the Red Tilson Trophy this season to become only the second American (Pat Peake being the first) to potentially win the award .. Tangradi is a stealthy scorer who goes through the motions and often appears as if he does not have a direct result on the game, however by the end of the contest he has managed to record three points .. he just seems to be at the right place at the right time .. he has great control of the puck and his disposable frame allows him an extra second to find his option .. does not overly battle for position, he rather just slips into openings and lets his hands terrorize goalies, as they are slick in close .. the knock on Tangradi is his skating, as he is not explosive by any means .. it is getting better but his first few strides are slow, as he has a Mike Grier-like disposition to his skating .. what separates Tangradi is his intelligence and he knows exactly when to back down or pursue a play .. he will need to play with more urgency away from the puck, as his defensive reads and approach need refinement at the next level.