OHL: Lawrence Underwhelms

The Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, currently first in the OHL's Western Division by a hair (only one point up on the Windsor Spitfires), will have to make do without North Dakota-bound Jeff Carter for the next several weeks. They will depend on Jason Pitton, Chris Lawrence, Jason Smith and Tyler Kennedy to carry the load in the meantime. Check out scouting reviews on these players and recent Ottawa 67's opponents Bryan Bickell and Derek Joslin.

Chris Lawrence (2005), C, Sault Ste. Marie

Big centerman's draft stock has been taking a bit of a hit due to his soft play and lack of finish .. has quick hands; dangle the puck too much and he'll rob you of it .. has a nice, long reach but does not protect the puck very well .. stands around too much along the boards instead of getting himself involved in battling for the puck .. had trouble corralling some passes cleanly .. needs to move his feet better and get more involved on the backcheck .. skinny and shows no mean streak .. has the ability to explode on his skates when the puck is in his sights .. smooth moves in possession with keen playmaking instincts but needs to make decisions quicker and with better confidence; otherwise he's about as spry as a Baywatch babe on a seashore stroll .. does not shoot the puck enough which is reflected in his low goal total (five in 33 games).

Jordan Smith (Ana), D, Sault Ste. Marie

Calm, cool and assesses plays well visually .. has a decent pair of hands and clears the zone effectively .. takes the body but isn't nasty nor bullish as he should be .. he hasn't added any jam to his physical game in the past year as expected which explains why he did not crack Canada's wjc camp roster .. lacks punishing stalwart qualities but is sound positionally .. unloads a hard slapper from the point but needs to quicken his release .. boxes out his man effectively near the crease .. does the little things well like clearing the zone crispy and timely .. good patience with the puck; does not get over-anxious .. good at most aspects; great at nothing.

Jason Pitton (NYI), RW, Sault Ste. Marie

After Jeff Carter he is the best Greyhound player .. has good puck skills but is a little heavy footed .. scored a goal breaking from the left side after turning a defender inside out with a nifty deke and tucking the puck between the goalie's legs .. has a big body and is strong on his feet .. well-balanced body is tough to move along the boards .. drives the net and hangs around the crease looking for rebounds on the pp .. powerful, sturdy and makes sound decisions with the puck .. smartly snuck up and stole the puck from goalie Andrew Guadagnolo behind the net and centered it for a scoring opportunity .. has a promising pro future.

Tyler Kennedy (Pit), C, Sault Ste. Marie

Quick, bold sparkplug .. possesses breakaway speed and agility to shake off defenders at full throttle .. has creative streaks but is invisible in a mucker's match .. not strong enough on his skates and the puck in board battles .. quite dangerous when open ice is available but has tougher times in traffic scenarios .. average at best at the faceoff circle; needs to gain additional bulk to most limbs .. has the quick hands to bury on fast breaks .. creative and perceptive on the pp; distributes the puck effectively and sees the ice well .. quite bold but does not always get results; went after Ottawa's Bryan Bickell several times but it was as though he bounced off a statue .. needs to keep his energy level at its highest at all times in order to be a serious prospect .. has invisible stretches.

Ryan McInerney (2006), C, Sault Ste. Marie

Smaller pivot is learning the ropes .. an excellent skater with quick feet .. raw positionally and struggles to get his way in traffic .. wins faceoffs consistently due to a quick reach .. not very strong on the puck but has good puck skills and nice vision .. lower body is just not very good at this time .. quick and opportunistic but does not get the puck in his sights a lot as he does not win enough battles .. could not handle a centering feed from Chris Lawrence .. pucks seem to get by him at times when he should be corralling them and driving the other way .. once a feed went right through his legs .. wrister accuracy has to be improved .. too early to say whether there's a good ceiling here.

Jakub Cech (FA), G, Salt Ste. Marie

Bryan BickellClick Even at his most effective he tends to be scrambly and does not instill much confidence .. quick and flexible .. quite awkward when he goes down frequently leaving a five-hole gaping .. balance is questionable .. does not have a very refined technique .. standing hunched over, he plays very square to the shooter and is actually pretty solid with his angles .. makes the first save .. has a lively glove hand and moves quickly from post to post .. another in the line of unorthodox Czech goalie prospects but not in the upper echelon.Here to view this Link. (Chi), LW, Ottawa

For a guy who can skate as well as he can Bickell still somehow manages to look like a stiff pole at times .. there is no timing to his checks at all .. showed no hands on a breakaway opportunity, crashing and burning without a shot on goal .. needs to improve his balance .. has the frame and the ability to fire his team up with crushing body checks but is inconsistent and lacks confidence .. took an ill-advised penalty nailing Reg Thomas from behind, who remarkably stayed in the match .. pretty much the same story as last year.

Derek Joslin (2005), D, Ottawa

Started the year with a bang but shows defensive holes .. gives the attacker too much room positionally and should be quicker laterally .. no edge to his game; does not make his man pay .. needs to get stronger and better at little things such as the shoot-in and clearing plays .. struggles at effectively tying up his man .. still has trouble receiving some passes at the point .. lacks a refined release .. often too cute with the puck when he should be clearing it.