OHL: Petes Planting the Seeds

The Peterborough Petes rebuilding program is well underway. Their core group of players is born in 1990 and their four rookies are producing very well. With three, second round picks this season, the Petes are positioning themselves to make a strong push to the Memorial Cup in as little as two seasons. McKeen's looks at several prospects including Zach Bogosian, a projected top-five NHL selection.

Zach Bogosian (2008), D, Peterborough

It is unfathomable to think what Bogosian has done considering his supporting cast .. he is leading the team in points and plays the game with such awareness that he can be relied upon in any situation .. the swift skating, American-born defender does everything at a relaxed pace, as there is no panic point to his game .. the Petes breakout system is very poor and often, Bogosian is not given the proper time and space to make a play, as his teammates simply do not set up well .. nonetheless, he finds outlets and even if he is sniffed out of his hole, he can always make an elusive move to escape forechecking pressure ..he skates with the puck so close to his body that it is hard to knock away from him .. he plays well within his limits, which makes him even more effective .. he does not try to be something he is not and quietly chips in offensively due to his first pass and his lateral mobility on the PP .. his athleticism allows him to get into better shooting or passing lanes .. his reverse movement is strong and coordinated .. many players do not want to challenge his side of the ice, as he angles them off the puck so well and will make them pay if he closes their gap .. tough and physical, he does not always show that element of his game but if a player sticks him, he always takes the number and does not forget .. he stays well within his box and does not give forwards any more room than they already have .. combines great skating ability with a healthy offensive skill set and possesses good size, which he should make him a top-three selection at this point.

Jake LaPlante (2008), D, Peterborough

After going undrafted last season, LaPlante is making scouts notice him this year with his solid all-around play in the defensive zone .. one of the biggest players in the OHL at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds, he effectively uses his reach to defend and is slowly learning to be more physical down low .. not flashy with the puck but shows some skill when handling it .. he still lacks the puck skills to be considered anything more than a fourth defenseman, as he does not see any PP time .. he is more of a shutdown defenseman who kills penalties and is useful in 5-5 situations .. his footwork needs improvement, as he has a tendency to be turned inside out down low .. he does not over commit defensively but he still has difficulty containing smaller highly skilled players .. he is smart in the fact that he uses his stick to his advantage to poke pucks away and to force players to the outside .. his foot speed and lack of puck rushing ability will hurt him come draft day but he will most certainly get an NHL camp invite.

Jamie Doornbosch (2008), D, Peterborough

Quietly establishing himself as a top-four defenseman who continues to learn on the job .. he has many positive attributes to his game .. blessed with size, decent footwork and is one of the better defenseman to handle the puck .. he sees PP time as a result on the second unit .. he sees the ice well and will always make a quick pass but he rarely shoots the puck .. he plays a responsible game and does not jump into the rush until position has been established .. he struggles down low like most of the bigger Peterborough defenders .. he needs to adjust his footwork early, otherwise he will be beaten .. he does a good job of disguising his weakness and is slowly emerging as a top-four defenseman on his team.

Arturs Kulda (Atl), D, Peterborough

Averaging over a half-a-point-a game and one of only a few players on this Petes team to have a positive plus/minus rating .. Kudla is a highly skilled offensive-minded defenseman who likes to take chances but has the foot speed to recover should he be caught pinching to stimulate offence .. he was literally everywhere on the ice and at times, confused his own teammates due to his erratic position .. he skates well and generates good speed in a few short strides .. he has the confidence to spearhead a rush and is very successful in his attempts .. he still needs to work on his puck skills, as he can fumble the puck and looks down too much when handling it .. breaks up plays consistently, as he reads plays and reacts quickly .. he uses any part of his body to do this .. he also uses his size to intimidate .. he is not a bruising defenseman but at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, he is capable of knocking guys off the puck .. has developed nicely in the OHL and looks ready for the AHL in a few short seasons.

Zach Harnden (2008), RW, Peterborough

Harnden is finally starting to get it, as he has posted points in eight of his last 13 games .. he oozes potential due to his size and his skating ability .. he has already surpassed his point totals of last year in 25 fewer games .. Harnden sets up well and has a timely release .. he works well in the offensive zone to get into position and to pry pucks away from players .. his skating has improved each year .. he pushes on his heels and has a strong thrust to his stride .. he knows where to go without the puck and reads plays well .. with his size, he should demolish players, yet he hits soft .. his intensity needs to pick up .. the problem lies in his overall consistency .. he needs to identify what type of player he is and contribute something on each shift .. he is starting to produce more, which will earn him extra icetime, but he needs to be more dynamic and compete that much harder for his stock to go up.

Brett Theberge (2008), C, Peterborough

Theberge is a very disciplined player who waits patiently for his chances .. like a good shortstop, he can read and see plays unfold before they happen and he reacts accordingly .. his hockey sense and on-ice awareness is strong .. coupled with his explosive skating, it is easy to see why he is situated on the second line alongside Harnden and Bastien .. his hand skills are ok .. he makes plays quickly and then moves into the slot .. he will not dazzle you with his stickhandling moves, as he is more of a support player .. continues to elevate his game and his NHL draft stock in the process.

Joey West (2009), C, Peterborough

Not overly big and not very fast, West does his job by establishing a good forecheck and staying true to his role .. he is a cerebral player who compensates his lack of foot speed and height with a hockey IQ that is unrivalled by his peers .. he can sustain pressure down low and works hard to get faceoffs in the opposition's zone so the first line has a chance to start the play in the offensive zone .. like a serviceable bishop in an end game of chess, West serves his purpose and will be a vital cog as early as next season to throw over the boards to preserve late one goal leads.

Zack Kassian (2009), RW, Peterborough

After playing centre in his draft year in minor hockey, Kassian has been moved to the wing .. a good up and down player who is better suited for the right side .. he is a very gifted player who is actually better known for his slick passing skills than his scoring prowess .. he gingerly throws the puck on the net in heavy traffic and can make velvet-soft passes in traffic .. he seems to lack confidence in his shot, as he rarely uses it .. due to his massive size and skating prowess, he usually remains unmolested when entering the zone .. he needs to play with more urgency at times .. even though he is a mean player and aggressive hitter there are times when he is asleep .. if provoked, he can be a thorn in the side of the opposition the entire night and the opposing team would be smart not to hit him early in a contest to wake him up .. oozes potential and has to be considered a strong prospect for next year's NHL draft.