OHL Report: Belleville Bulls

McKeen's correspondent Marcus Guido has an early season report on the Belleville Bulls, which include forwards Brendan Gaunce and Garrett Hooey, who are both eligible for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, as well as defenseman Jordan Subban who is eligible in 2013.

Brendan Gaunce (2012), C, Belleville

At 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, Gaunce already has NHL size .. can easily power to the net with his big body, and his strong stance makes him difficult to move once he's there .. never hesitates to go to the dirty areas of the ice to win pucks .. plays the opposing puckcarrier's body aggressively to force turnovers .. has decent vision in the offensive zone and likes to work off the halfboards to either dish the puck to an open man or throw it on net .. reliable in the faceoff circle .. can skate around the offensive zone with the puck and effectively shield it with his big body .. capably separates himself from defenders on the powerplay to set himself up for a one-timer in the right faceoff circle .. keeps an active stick while defending and sees a lot of time on the penalty kill .. though armed with a quick release on his wristshot, his slapshot could be more powerful .. lacks first-step quickness .. doesn't always finish his checks .. given his size, he could easily play more of a physically-dominating game.

Garrett Hooey (2012), C, Belleville

Described by Bulls head coach as a "gritty, yet fairly-skilled two-way forward" .. can hit full speed after only a couple strides .. strong forechecker .. can break up opposing team's rushes with his backchecking .. falls back to play defence if a defenseman has made a bad pinch and always stays very active in his own zone .. doesn't hesitate to get in shooting lanes .. knows how and when to shoot low for rebounds .. likes to work from behind the net to try and spot teammates in a good shooting positioning .. will go into the high-traffic areas to earn scoring chances .. for a player who will stand in front of the net, he doesn't tip many shots .. needs to work on his shooting abilities .. shot isn't very powerful and release isn't quick .. somewhat of a weak and narrow stance, as he can get easily knocked around when battling along the boards .. isn't much of a threat to score, but a very valuable defensive forward in the Bulls' system.

Jordan Subban (2013), D, Belleville

Very smart and quick skater who frequently leads the rush .. has great first-step quickness he can use when given a bit of open ice .. naturally eludes checkers while carrying the puck .. can effortlessly skate from end-to-end .. great vision gives him a great first pass, though he rarely uses it .. armed with a quick release on his wristshot .. creeps up from the point while his teammates cycle in the offensive zone to gain better scoring chances .. keeps an active stick while defending but is only 170 pounds and needs to bulk up more to be better in his own zone .. has trouble containing forwards around his net and seldom lifts their sticks off the ice .. has a tendency to chase his man around while defending and pulls himself out of position .. tends to keep his focus on the puck and not the body when defending, making it easy for opposing players to beat him going to the net .. is also easily pressured in his own zone, which forces him to make bad passes.