OHL: Neal Before the Stars

Plymouth Whalers forward and Dallas Stars prospect James Neal was a dominant force throughout the OHL playoffs leading the Whalers to the OHL Championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup. Along the way, the Whalers defeated the Kitchener Rangers, who will be Memorial Cup bound next season as the host of the prestigious tournament. McKeen's takes a final look at both clubs this season and reviews several players that made an impact.

Plymouth Whalers

Coming on strong in the second half of the season, the Plymouth Whalers were considered heavy favorites coming into the postseason. The Whalers did not disappoint winning the OHL Championship with victories over the Guelph Storm, Kitchener Rangers, London Knights and Sudbury Wolves. Led by the goaltending of Washington Capitals 2006 second-rounder Michal Neuvirth and a formidable offensive cast led by James Neal, the Whalers would go on to represent the OHL at the Memorial Cup.

James Neal (Dal), LW, Plymouth

Neal has been a man possessed this postseason .. he leads the Whalers in points and his healthy PIM totals indicate that he is willing to pay the price to win .. fearless and reckless, he crashes and looks to hit players whenever he can .. he is competitive and does not give the opposition any ice without working for it .. challenges defenders and drives them back, going hard to the net in the process .. great along the boards, he will play a dump-and-chase game if he feels he can beat the defender down low .. skates well with the puck, as he has good stickhandling skills and his shot is very accurate .. has a long, efficient stride however, his limps are all over the place .. once he settles down and gains about 25 pounds, he should be a marquee power forward in the NHL, capable of playing on a second line.

Michal Neuvirth (Wsh), G, Plymouth

Since the second game of the second round of the OHL playoffs, he has started all the games for the Whalers, dropping only three contests on his way to the OHL final .. an extremely technical goalie, he will rarely lose position and stays on his feet until the very last second to make a save .. flexible and athletic, his quick legs are able to kick out and stop everything down low .. his down-low coverage is unreal and is very reminiscent of Henrik Lundqvist .. no panic point to his game, as he is very calm and calculated in the pipes .. his rebound control is minimal .. he sets up well after a shot, as he follows the play with heightened concentration .. second round selection is leading the Whalers deep into the playoffs so much, that potential 2007 first round draft pick Jeremy Smith, has not seen the ice in three series'.

Ryan McGinnis (LA), D, Plymouth

Key defender on the back end who eats upward of 28 minutes of icetime with his calm, economical approach to the game .. steady player on both the PP and the PK however, he excels on the PK due to his ability to stay in position .. on the odd occasion when he will lose his footing to a smaller, quicker player, he does a good job of slowing that player down with a stick check .. has great communication with his defensive partner as Whitely usually recovers for him if need be .. smooth and incredibly light on his feet, he does not miss a beat when moving laterally or in reverse directions .. not afraid to take a player out of the play and most of his penalties help to set the tone of the game .. a reliable defender, he will most likely stay for his final season of junior next year, as there is no rush to get him in the AHL.

Dan Collins (Fla), RW, Plymouth

Not the type of player that will jump out at you, as he is not flashy at all .. nevertheless, he is an effective up-and-down winger with a lethal shot from within the circle .. not the greatest stickhandler, he relies more on his ability to get the shot off and then follow up on his rebound .. he is playing with more intensity in the playoffs but is the type of player you have to coax to get involved, as he does not drive the net with regularity .. shows a good two-way effort and does not cheat on the backcheck .. should return as an overage player, as his game is not ready to turn pro.

Jared Boll (CBJ), RW, Plymouth

Has elevated his game considerably in the later stages of the playoffs, as he takes healthy runs at key players in an attempt to throw them off their game .. not afraid to fight, as he backs up his physical play .. plays like a bull in a china shop .. big presence on the wing, he drives to the net and creates chances down low .. he is all over the ice, so he does not always establish effective position .. he will need to settle down at the next level however, his enthusiasm will be well served .. has a good snapshot and does not hesitate to use it .. he is very coordinated and his ability to switch forehand to backhand in traffic helps him fool goalies .. he should be able to make the jump to the AHL next season with a possible conditioning stint in the ECHL at the beginning of next year.

Tom Sestito (CBJ), LW, Plymouth

Sestito has been a valuable cog in the Whalers success due to his versatility on special teams .. he is often sent over the boards to kill a three-on-on five and does so with outstanding success .. he uses his long limbs well and the physical dimension he brings to the table helps to set the tempo for the game .. he is very unpredictable, as he can pass or shoot .. due to his large size, defenders have a hard time containing him .. keeps pucks down low when on a 2-on-1 when the other forward is rushing to the net .. very smart player who reacts and thinks the game fast .. his puck skills could improve but he should be able to develop nicely at the next level .. with his lengthy stride and strong play away from the puck, he has an outside chance of joining Syracuse next season due to a lack of prospects in the Columbus organization.

Daniel Ryder (Cgy), C, Plymouth

Made the OHL finals for the second year in a row .. quiet and unassuming player, he makes quick plays and is very deceptive in his approach to the game .. he can be invisible and then all of a sudden, make a play up ice that creates a 2-on-1 .. his anticipation skills in the offensive zone cannot be taught .. he will engage in a corner battle and position himself to win possession of the puck, even though the player he is competing against is bigger and stronger .. can stickhandle standing still, as his puck skills are one of his better traits .. has great hand/eye coordination and can finish in any area of the ice .. his shot (wrist or snap) inside the blueline is not only accurate but a laser beam .. an average skater, he does have modest speed but since he handles everything so nonchalant, he appears to be moving slow .. should be able to move up the depth chart of the Flames roster however, he is at least two years removed from any NHL action.

Evan Brophey (Chi), C, Plymouth

An extremely talented player, though he still suffers with consistency issues .. has played much more physical in the playoffs, leaning on guys and forcing turnovers with some timely hits .. is not very strong in front, he will go to the net but does not assert himself and maintain his position .. he shows a willingness to compete when the puck is not on his blade but not on every shift .. his offensive awareness is key .. his vision and ability to see the play develop are his best attributes .. a swift skater, he does not struggle to keep up with plays and his skating should not hold him back .. his defensive play can be suspect at times, as he leaves the zone too early .. willingness to pay the price and play with more intensity are aspects of his game he will need to fine-tune at the next level.

Chris Terry (2007), LW, Plymouth

Terry has responded well to the added offensive responsibility and the talent that surrounds him certainly helps .. he is a capable scorer at the OHL level and should be able to score 30-plus goals next season due to his speed and shot .. a stocky player who does not always compete in the corners and surprisingly, is rather ineffective along the wall .. he has a tendency to rush the zone and is too over zealous, a trait that is encouraging to a degree nonetheless .. did not play with the courage and type of effort that was required, which led to limited shifts ..has a low centre of gravity, yet he gets out-muscled off the puck, as he does not protect it well .. a later-round pick, as NHL scouts have seen him plenty of times due to a surplus of drafted players on the Whalers team.

Kitchener Rangers

The Kitchener Rangers will host the Memorial Cup next year for the first time since 1982. The Rangers had a great regular season however; they were unable to draw on their success in the postseason. Their inexperience on the back end proved to be their downfall, as the Plymouth Whalers disposed of the Rangers in five games in the second round. With a solid returning nucleus, the Rangers should be a power house next season with strengths at all positions.

John Murray (2007), G, Kitchener

What started out as a fairytale season ended with a sub-par performance in the playoffs .. a victim of playing too much hockey, Murray looked fatigued toward the beginning of the playoffs, as he was mediocre even in the opening round victory over the Sarnia Sting .. seemed to lose his confidence, as he was unsure of himself and did not play with the poise that he did at the beginning of the season .. went down too early on many shots that came in his direction .. has good lateral movement protecting the bottom portion of the net however, was easily beaten up high .. seemed to be on his stomach and back to make saves, as he was sprawled over the ice constantly, and was even pulled during the Plymouth series .. mechanics need to be improved, as he lacks style .. an average skater and puckhandler .. Kitchener is hoping he can rebound and be more mentally focussed next season, as he will be the cornerstone to the Rangers success.

Jakub Kindl (Det), D, Kitchener

It is still undetermined if Kindl will return to Junior, as it will be dependant on his NHL training camp .. Detroit has a set group of returning defenders so there should be no need to rush him however, that inevitably will be a decision Red Wings management will make .. playing in a Memorial Cup could help many facets of his game, as Kindl still has considerable work to do .. he struggled with consistency all year and even lost his PP time in the second round of the playoffs .. his play in his own zone was sloppy, which resulted in limited shifts and he was unable to bring his 'A' game when it mattered most .. decision-making at times needs to be better .. can dazzle one shift and confuse you the next .. needs to be stronger and play with more intensity next year .. should he return, he will be looked upon to lead by example, meaning he can't afford to have an off-night.

Steve Downie (Phi), RW, Kitchener

While he is still eligible to return to junior, it is widely believed that he has a strong chance of making the Philadelphia Flyers .. still had on-ice issues this year, which led to multiple suspensions however, his aggression is viewed as a healthy trait for the Flyers, who are desperately looking for players to help forge an identity for a rebuilding squad .. average skater, his down low play is one, if not the best in the league, as the patience he exhibits is extraordinary .. did not lose a single corner battle and willingly engaged in the dirty areas, as he shows no fear in his game .. he played every second shift in the Plymouth series and was instrumental in all of their goals throughout the series .. was constantly pestered by Boll and others to throw him off his game however, he showed discipline for the most part and stayed out of the box .. able to stickhandle in traffic and work the puck closer to the net however, he could shoot more, as he usually looks for the pass across the crease .. with the amount of intangibles he brings and his desire to win at any cost, he will be a fan favourite in Philadelphia in no time.

Victor Oreskovich (Col), C, Kitchener

A strange season for Oreskovich, as he was removed from the team briefly this season due to philosophy differences between him and coach DeBoer .. he played ok in the playoffs but did not use his massive frame to create space like many of the bigger players on the Whalers .. gets involved but needs to learn to use his size more effectively .. uses his shot well in the slot .. still showed laziness on the backcheck, which resulted in a poor plus/minus rating in the playoffs .. good hand/eye coordination in front, as he was relied upon as a screen on the PP to bang away and get garbage goals .. potential with size and skill are certainly evident however, attitude and willingness to make sacrifices may hold him back from the next level .. a possible ECHL player to start the season.

Nick Spaling (2007), C, Kitchener

His stock may have dropped following a lacklustre performance against the Whalers .. while he did not contribute on the scoresheet, his smart heads-up play did not go unnoticed by coach DeBoer, as he saw ample icetime in all situations .. a very subtle player in terms of what he brings to the table, as his smarts and keen positioning are his best assets .. an average skater he could still work on his explosiveness .. he does move, cut and turn well .. his balance helps him along the boards and he was able to establish position in that area and win battles, which resulted in him being able to throw the puck toward the net or centre it in front .. great faceoff skills, he won many important draws .. not an overly crafty player in terms of stick skills .. should be a key contributor next season and go-to-guy with the potential to finish in the top-three in team scoring.

Dan Kelly (2007), D, Kitchener

As the season wore on, Kelly got much more confident, which in turn made him better in all aspects of his game .. played with grit during the postseason and did not let anyone by him without punishing them along the glass .. showed a willingness to jump into the play however, he is better suited to protect the back end, as he lacks the foot speed to recover should a play not materialize .. improved on his decision-making and quickness with the puck in his own zone .. has good size and plays a physical game .. the experience this season should prove invaluable and with increased strength in the off-season .. Kelly should provide the Rangers with solid depth at the defensive position.

Yannick Weber (2007), D, Kitchener

When the playoffs came around, it appeared that Weber never left the ice, as he easily played upward of 32 minutes a game in the second round .. earned the trust and confidence of the coaching staff with his reliable, dependable play in all three zones .. a permanent fixture on the PP, it actually appeared that he was missing his shots to the net on purpose to generate rebounds off the boards in front of Neuvirth .. his stick preparation is key in his ability to get his one-timer off .. showed remarkable poise for a first-year player in the OHL .. his game is more complete than when Kindl was at the same age .. that is not to suggest that he will be a first rounder however, a mid-second pick may not be out of the question.