OHL: Kaspar the Ghost

San Jose first round pick in 2004, Lukas Kaspar got off to a red-hot start to the season in what is his North American debut with the Ottawa 67’s. However the young sniper was knocked out of active duties after the team’s drubbing at the hands of the St. Michael’s Majors. The road-weary 67’s limped into the St. Mike’s arena and were destroyed 4-1, where Kaspar suffered a nagging charley horse courtesy of a crushing hit by aggressive rookie Travis Elder. OHL correspondent Doug Evinou was at the game and files reports on some of the more intriguing performers.

Lukas Kaspar (San Jose), RW, Ottawa

Mega talented, stocky player skates with fantastic acceleration .. has taken very little time acclimatizing himself to the North American game, becoming a dominant scoring threat .. shifty skater can turn on a dime, and is a constant threat on the quick break .. was hit heavily into the boards during the second period by Majors’ winger Travis Elder .. attempted to come back in the third period, but the 67s shut him down for the rest of the afternoon for precautionary reasons .. has NHL-level speed already, and a major-league nose for the net .. sometimes reaches for the puck in the defensive end hoping for a quick turn-around, rather then fully committing to defensive assignments .. his OHL apprenticeship under Hall of Fame coach Brian Kilrea should round out his defensive game before he moves on to the pros.

Bryan Bickell (Chicago), LW, Ottawa

Has filled out since last season, which is a nightmare come true for opposition defensemen .. sprung Jakub Petruzalek with a nice pass through the neutral zone, leading to Ottawa’s lone goal .. got the puck in a few dangerous looking situations coming across St. Mike’s blue-line, and settled for long shots on Justin Peters with none of his teammates driving to the net .. was extremely involved in a number of after-the-whistle skirmishes, and looked to have something going with Majors’ rearguard Nathan McIver, although things never developed into fisticuffs .. has produced this season (six points in seven games), but nothing seemed to materialize for him in this game as he didn’t commit to driving to the net like he should .. his size and skating abilities make him a potential dominant scoring threat when his head is in the game .. needs to work on his consistency and upgrade drive to succeed.

Tyson Aitcheson (2005), D, Ottawa

This solid all-weather defenseman was a second round pick of the 67’s in 2003 .. played in almost all of Ottawa’s games last year, but saw limited ice time .. this season, (67’s head coach Brian) Kilrea has put a lot more trust in the rearguard, and Tyson has responded by giving the team quality minutes .. blessed with good size and a sound mind for defensive positioning .. has decent mobility and moves the puck smartly .. is never going to be an offensive defensemen, but contributes by playing relatively mistake-free hockey in his own end, and uses his size to control opposition forwards in his own zone .. was one of the few 67s’ players who were not a negative in the plus-minus column in this match .. should be a candidate for a selection in next year’s NHL Entry Draft.

Danny Battochio (2005), G, Ottawa

With the graduation of former 67s’ keeper Lukas Mensator, he is the undisputed starter in Ottawa .. not big at only 5-10, he relies on positioning and quick reflexes to cover the net .. committed too early on a few plays, and was burned upstairs .. when he goes down early, it’s hard for him to contain rebounds and get back into the play .. an adequate puck-handler .. time is beginning to run out on this ’85 crease-keeper, and he needs to impress to earn a pro contract at the end of the year.

Arron Alphonso (2007), RW, Ottawa

The 67s’second pick in the 2004 OHL priority draft has made an impression early with his determination on the fore-check .. shows good jump, and enthusiastic energy .. won’t turn sixteen until the middle of November, but is already getting his nose dirty out on the ice against much older opponents .. still searching for his first point; it will undoubtedly come soon as a result of the turnovers he forces with his crash-and-bang style .. well-balanced skater with a solid frame, he looks to have a successful OHL career in his future.

Will Colbert (Ottawa), D, Ottawa

Recently named the 67s’ captain for the 2004/05 season .. a strong skater who plays a solid defensive game .. one of the 67s’problems this year is that they lack a true power play quarterback, and Colbert’s inability to provide a reliable shot from the point is one of the reasons .. Ottawa finished one for eight in power play opportunities, and the goal they did score was off the rush .. possesses pro size and agility, and his defensive savvy makes him a strong candidate to enjoy success at the pro level as a depth defenseman.

Scott Lavigne (2005), D, St. Michael’s

This sturdy blue-liner has been a real surprise for the Majors this season after being drafted in the sixth round in the 2003 OHL draft .. undersized at only 5-11, he makes due with excellent mobility on skates, and oozes intelligence when he has the puck on his stick .. has broken into the Majors’ blueline top four at the expense of fellow draft prospect Ryan Wilson .. paired with over-age rearguard Dale Good .. seeing time on the Majors’ second power play unit and displays poise with the puck and generally makes good decisions .. Majors’ coach Bud Stefanski regularly uses the Sudbury native on St. Mike’s impressive penalty killing units .. his height will restrict his draft stock, but his solid all-around play should garner him some interest at NHL draft tables.

Notes

The Majors have sent third-year goaltender Michael Ouzas to the Mississauga Ice Dogs in exchange for a 5th round pick in the 2006 OHL priority selection (originally Saginaw Spirit’ property). Seventeen year old Wayne Savage becomes Justin Peters’ new back up in Toronto.

The Ottawa 67’s acquired veteran blueliner Nick Van Herpt from the Ice Dogs in exchange for a 5th round selection in the 2007 OHL draft. The 67’s have been decimated with injuries to their back line early in this season with Elgin Reid and Robbie Lawrence having yet to play and the likes of Kyle Wharton still reportedly not in tip-top shape.