OHL Report: Brampton Battalion

Mckeen's Director of Scouting, David Burstyn takes a look at a handful of Battalion prospects including NHL draft-eligible Barclay Goodrow and Spencer Abraham.

Barclay Goodrow (2011), W, Brampton

Goodrow is skating on a regular shift with Johansson and Watters and provides the line with size and presence along the boards .. used primarily to make plays off the boards or to make a centring ice feed .. he does all the little things well .. chipping plays up ice, using his body to close off passing lanes and moves his feet and uses his reach to cause turn overs .. showed a propensity to fight as he took on Beukeboom (Sault) in an even tilt .. has a power forward's build but does not always play like one .. he does not hesitate to go to the net however his finishing skills come into question as he does not seem to be much of a scorer .. not an overly creative player either .. his biggest drawback is his lack of foot speed .. he needs to be in constant movement and lean on guys to gain positional advantage as his feet simply do not move quickly enough out of the blocks .. it impedes his ability to stay involved with a play and will be a crippling factor come NHL draft day unless he can make upgrades.

Spencer Abraham (2011), D, Brampton

The 15th round selection is the current leading scorer on the back-end for the Battalion as coach Butler has trusted him in all PP situations .. on the smaller side, he does have great vision and poise with the puck .. he never hurries a play and will take an extra step to make a pass .. does not rely on his strength more so his finesse skills .. he instinctively jumps into the slot and plays as a fourth forward .. he gets his shots on goal and is always noticeable with the puck .. his lack of size hurts his defensive game as he has difficulty containing players off the rush .. he does not have a physical dimension to his game either .. Abraham continues to play a steady offensive game and considering the options, or lack their of on the Battalion back-end, he has done a more than adequate job in supplementing the offence.

Jordan Auld (2011), D, Brampton

Yet another late round selection to crack the Battalion roster .. played a key role in the Mississauga Reps run to the Telus Cup .. Auld is a decent depth option who offers some size but has very limited footwork and does not move well laterally .. his forward skating is ok but when forced to move side-to-side he is easily beaten .. his skates are pointed inwards which prohibits his speed .. his defensive reads are also suspect, a direct result of being a first year OHL player .. he miss reads his positioning and can get drawn out of position .. puck skills are raw but he can make an ok first pass .. needs considerable amount of work to be considered an NHL option.

Dennis Saikkonen (2011), G, Brampton

The second round selection in the Import draft, Saikkonen has posted below modest totals in his brief OHL audition .. decent size but carries little to no weight and therefore does not cover the net overly well .. doesn't use his stick well when protecting his five hole .. rebound control and glove hand are also suspect .. not much style and tends to go down too early .. when he drops down and gets back up he needs time to set-up which often has him out of position .. struggles down low when players crowd his crease .. Saikkonen needs to work on many facets of his game.

Dylan Blujus (2012), D, Brampton

Blujus played Major Midget in the Buffalo area and therefore was not overly seen by many OHL clubs .. he was invited to the USNDTP U17 evaluation camps but opted towards the OHL route .. has played a bulk of minutes this season in all situations including 3-5 PK and PP time .. has cleaned up his skating and added weight to his frame which has aided in his coordination .. needs to lengthen his stride as he tends to be too upright as a skater .. plays within limits but has become more daring with the puck with the confidence gained with each passing game .. needs to manage his shifts better as they tend to be a tad long .. takes a hit to make a play .. gaining strength will help in all areas of his game as he has shown a good skill set thus far.