OHL: Petes eliminated in four

The Peterborough Petes managed to sneak into the playoffs during the last weekend of the season, however they were not rewarded when they had to play the Brampton Battalion in the first round. They were sent packing in four games, but the experience should bode well for a young and improving team. McKeen's Chief correspondent David Burstyn takes a final look at a few Petes for the 2008-09 season such as first round draft hopeful Zack Kassian.

Zack Kassian (2009), RW, Peterborough

The first round elimination will open up another door, as Kassian should be named to the Under-18 team that will be playing in Fargo in a few short weeks .. Kassian had an average playoff, although it did not help that his centre Tony Romano was easily neutralized and did not score his first goal until the deciding fourth game of the series .. needs to play with an edge to succeed but was still tentative, as he tends to be on the losing side of penalty calls due to his size and reputation .. leaves the zone early in an effort to stimulate offence .. his passing skills out weigh his scoring skills, largely the reason he is situated with a speedster, and quick-handed centre such as Romano .. Kassian was leaned on heavily by the coaching staff this season .. he was named an assistant captain to start the season and was expected to lead at a young age of 17, which may have been too much pressure at once .. Kassian will need to learn systems better and accept and understand his role in the Hockey Canada program (should he make the team) to help salvage a weak playoff to keep him as a possible first round draft pick.

Chad Lowry (2009), D, Peterborough

Lowry made his share of mistakes this season and is still learning on the job .. his biggest setback is his puckhandling, as the skills are not there .. he can't make a quick enough decision, which usually results in the entire forward unit coming back deeper in their zone to defend, thus negating any type of fast breakout .. where he excels is his brute strength and uncompromising passion to lay a thunderous bodycheck on the opposition .. is at his best when he does not need to think and appears capable of doing only one thing at a time .. he does have a few positives going for him, as he is an ok skater and has a natural mean streak .. Lowry will become a very difficult player to play against in two seasons at the OHL level, however he is a long ways from being a pro and/or an NHL draft pick this season.

Derek Holden (2009), D, Peterborough

Holden did an admirable job in the playoffs and even though he did not register any points he took care of duties in his own end of the ice .. performing well on the defensive side of things is positive reinforcement for Holden's game, as he struggled against bigger, stronger players all season .. defending the likes of Gratchev, Duchene and Hodgson was a solid test for the second year defender .. great all-compass mobility and first-step quickness enables him to participate freely up ice in an attempt to create offence .. was logging more minutes down the stretch and became an option in all situations, as he managed to gain the trust of the coaching staff with his solid play .. difficult to gauge if a team will take a chance on him considering his size limitations, however he does have Brian Rafalski-like characteristics.

Ryan Spooner (2010), C, Peterborough

Spooner scored 30 goals in his rookie season, a feat not managed by either Mike Ricci or Steve Yzerman, two highly decorated alumni's of the Petes organization .. Spooner's efforts were rather ordinary in the playoffs, however the Petes were mismatched in every single category and not much was expected from the team or a 16-year-old rookie .. however the future is very bright for Spooner who creates instant offence with his quick stick, fast feet and keen anticipation of seeing a play unfold .. he has a long stride, excellent balance, but still needs to work on improving his overall speed .. he makes great cuts to the net, goes outside on guys and is strong enough to shrug off checks .. he likes to come in on the off-wing and can snap a shot off his back foot .. he is equally adept at passing, as he has great vision and can make rink-length passes .. he is unselfish and will look for the pass just as much as he would for the shot .. he has little to no back swing so he can disguise his motions well with the puck .. Spooner needs to put an extra effort on defending, as he was a little too relaxed in that department .. he was extended liberties due to his scoring touch and even saw limited time on the PK toward the end of the season to make him a more-rounded player .. a highly regarded prospect for next season, as he should assume the top centre position due to the graduation of Romano.