OHL: Methot Man

Strong contenders in OHL's East Division, the Barrie Colts have had a high number of returnees from last year in preparation to make a run at the league championship this season. McKeen's takes a look at several of Barrie's sophomore players as well as rookie Matthieu Mathot. Andrew Marshall, Hunter Tremblay and Michael Lombardi are three players passed up in past NHL drafts but are hoping for a second chance.

Matthieu Methot (2006) LW, Barrie

Hulking forward played Tier II in Kanata last season .. not really a scorer at any level, but his size creates space .. long reach and has the ability to comes out of the corners with the puck and dish it to linemates .. readily stands in front of the net and takes abuse to score goals by means of tips-ins and rebounds .. took exception to a penalty called against him for diving and received a 10-minute misconduct .. tall but could still add 15-20 pounds .. long stride helps him cover much of the ice but he has no extra gear and was unable to get to loose pucks at all throughout the contest .. tends to slow down when stickhandling and puck skills are rather limited .. had trouble adjusting to the pace of the game as his transition from defence to offence is problematic, struggling to put himself in position to receive a pass .. average at faceoffs .. must continue to drive the net and use his puck protection skills to create chances if he is going to contribute on the scoresheet goal-wise.

Chris Morrison (2006) RW, Barrie

Third liner has the most offensive potential amongst linemates .. the strongest skater on the line, has an adequate first step and is agile on his skates .. made an impressive move to the outside but was unable to settle the puck down, resulting in a missed scoring chance .. likes to shoot at the net at all times, often working hard to get into a good shooting area, turning around and unleashing a shot in hopes of catching the goalie off guard .. thrives in a defensive role as he was a permanent fixture on the PK, often playing in 3-on-5 situations .. closes passing lanes, intercepts passes and blocks shots .. backchecks furiously .. offensive skill set is not as complementary as his defence due to limited passing skills and vision.

Jordan Shine (2007) LW, Barrie

Energy player willingly puts his body on the line .. finishes checks with zest .. strong work ethic; does not give up on a play .. competes hard on every shift with minutes depending on his hard work, especially away from the puck .. was used sparingly but hard work was rewarded with some PP duty late in the game .. has an honest approach to the game and takes short shifts so other offence-minded players get on the ice.

Matthew Bragg (2006) C, Barrie

Has really stepped up his game from last season .. skating has improved as he has shortened his stride .. still does not have the best acceleration but possesses a nice fluid stride and modest speed .. always moving his feet .. turning into an effective role player who can occasionally chip in the odd goal .. crashes the net for rebounds and looks to cause disturbances in front of the net .. scored on a low shot that the goalie should have had but Bragg had the presence of mind to use his forward as a decoy which probably threw off Couture (Oshawa goalie) .. much like his linemates he sacrifices his body to make a play and will dive to block shots .. inspired play really encourages others to pick up their game .. has fought and deserves the additional minutes he has been given this season.

Andrew Marshall (2006) D, Barrie

Has emerged as Barrie's top defender in all situations .. top point producer has already eclipsed last season' totals where he scored 3 goals, already has 11 in 21 games .. shows a renewed confidence in handling the puck .. complements the Barrie PP system which is to get a shot through and let bigger players bang away at the rebounds or distribute the puck to Bryan Little and let him shoot it .. has good mobility with decent side to side movement pushing forwards to the outside .. teams have targeted him and usually rush him, minimizing his time and space .. he is still able to make good decisions with the puck as he reacts quickly .. an effective QB on the PP he is able to see openings and breakdowns that may occur in other team's defensive boxes .. if he has been overlooked in previous drafts it is primarily due to his 5-foot-9 frame, which for a defenseman is a drawback at the highest levels of competition.

Michael Lombardi (2006) LW, Barrie

Already with his third team in as many seasons, one has to wonder if Lombardi didn't peak at the Minor Midget level with the Vaughn Kings .. has yet to live up to his potential .. he is an intense competitor who sometimes lets his temper get the best of him .. a nasty player who takes unnecessary penalties .. loses composure really easily and has to learn to keep his emotions in check .. fought with DeLory and failed to register a punch even though it was he who instigated the fight .. very vocal, always chirping in front of the net; when a player was holding his stick you could hear him from the top of the stands .. parks in front of the net and uses his big frame to box players out of his zone .. skating is average as is his stick handling .. prefers to go through someone as opposed to going around the person .. anticipation skills and hockey sense are question marks as well .. made an extra move at the line that cost his team a potential two-on-one forcing Little to go offside .. does his job in regards to work along the boards and providing size on a relatively small line .. will need to show a greater concentration level to achieve success at this level and future levels as he is too much of a liability to be considered a legitimate prospect.

Hunter Tremblay (2006) LW, Barrie

Really benefits from playing with a finisher like Bryan Little .. more of a play maker than a scorer .. a fast skater who makes effective plays in the offensive zone .. takes an extra second to look in the process making smarter, more practical plays .. has a good shot and a quick release in the slot .. didn't seem like he was going full throttle in this game as he has in the past .. seemed tentative to make a play if it required him to get hit; backed off a few times from advancing the puck when a bigger player was in the vicinity .. not overly strong, he gets knocked off the puck frequently and is limited to his work along the boards and the cycle game .. took considerable abuse in clearing the zone on one particular shift; it seems he lacks the stamina to take a hit and still have an effective shift .. his lack of size prohibits him from being considered an above-average prospect and his game may be better tailored to the ECHL or University Hockey.