OHL: OMarra, Blunden Power Erie

Are Erie's Ryan O'Marra and Michael Blunden deserving of the early accolades for the 2005 NHL Entry draft? Patrick weighs in with his notes and provides additional scouting on Sean O'Connor, Brett McLean and Toronto's Wayne Savage.

Ryan O'Marra (2005), C, Erie

Versatile forward has tremendous puck control .. excellent nifty stickhandler .. elite vision and anticipation of his linemates .. played the point on the power play, but is much more effective down low .. good poise and confidence when in possession of the puck and skates hard on the backcheck .. effortless, smooth stride .. very quick, deceptive first step .. plays with a chip on his shoulder and finishes his checks along the boards .. not intimidated in traffic and is very responsible in his own end, although not oft-utilized on the pk .. effectively uses the backhand to win faceoffs with strength and timing .. displayed elite vision coming out of the corner and flipping the puck to the wide open Andrew Hotham for a marker .. showed impressive dedication around the goal area when he backhanded a wraparound attempt and then followed up with a rebound goal five-hole on Wayne Savage .. has the range to become a top-line NHLer.

Michael Blunden (2005), RW, Erie

Combines a tough-as-nails physical approach with solid work ethic .. practically impossible to slow down on the forecheck, always managing to get around the defenseman to get his hands on the dumped in puck .. has a very big, strong body that is tough to knock off course; sturdy and well-balanced in the slot .. creates screens and looks for rebounds .. made a nice backhanded saucer pass to Brett McLean for a scoring chance .. quite mobile for his size but is not explosive .. finishes checks and with consistent jam .. reliable on the pk with impressive dedication on the backcheck .. must shoot the puck more but will never be a big-time goal scorer, but is quite all right as a bang-and-crash guy with respectable offensive imagination.

Sean O'Connor (2005), RW, Erie

Smallish forward takes a lot of punishment .. some offensive potential but is not yet showing much finish .. lots of hustle and is fast and fluid in his movements .. adept at tying up his man on faceoffs .. will need to bulk up as too many guys manhandle him at this time.

Brett McLean (2007), RW, Erie

Has been given a vote of confidence with ice time on the blue chipper line with O'Marra and Blunden .. strong along the boards and getting stronger .. smartly lifted Ryan Wilson's stick when the opposing rearguard was trying to clear the puck .. good top speed but overall skating is still rough .. needs to work on his conditioning which affects his quickness and agility .. often looked exasperated .. a work in progress.

Wayne Savage (2005), G, Toronto

Good at making the first save but has been absolutely dreadful at times on rebounds, often kicking them out right to the slot .. not very confident when the puck is on his stick .. did not once slap his stick on the ice to warn his teammates about expiring penalties; game awareness is a raw area .. seemed to panic when the puck lay close to the crease but was bailed frequently by fellow defensemen .. lots to work on.