OHL: Showing some Spirit

The Saginaw Spirit managed to accomplish a franchise first this season by advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Relying primarily on their backend and goaltending the Spirit surprisingly were able to outscore the Guelph Storm 20-13 in an opening round sweep. McKeen's Chief Correspondent David Burstyn looks at a handful of draft-eligible prospects along with their three NHL-drafted defenseman and leading point producer Jack Combs.

Edward Pasquale (2009), G, Saginaw

Pasquale's draft stock has taken a hit in the playoffs .. he played well in the opening round series, winning two games in double OT but allowed far too many goals against a young Storm team .. there are games when Pasquale is very ordinary and others where he stands out and shines .. this type of inconsistency is common among young netminders, however Pasquale has an additional year of development being a late birthday .. this was the first year for him being a legitimate No. 1 and it showed, as he led the league in minutes played and shots against .. fatigue has set in for him, as he was chased out of the net in game 1 against London and did not look mentally prepared .. when he is on his game he tends to make himself bigger, however he does have many bad habits that he reverts back to when his confidence wanes - including playing too deep in the net and going down too early .. his stickhandling has not improved either throughout the season .. he also tends to favour his right side, as he cannot slide across as quickly on his left hand side .. Pasquale has the potential to be an NHL netminder but he will require a considerable amount of time at the AHL level .. could be one of the better goalies to return next season and will once again make the Spirit a contender.

Cody Sol (2009), D, Saginaw

Sol has done wonders to bolster his draft stock, as the towering 6-foot-6 defenseman picked up eight fighting majors, including a tilt against Richard Greenop - the heavyweight of the league .. Sol was at his best physically against divisional rivals, as his blood seemed to boil when playing Plymouth and Windsor saving his best efforts for those games .. playing a steady defensive game, using his size, reach and smarts to eliminate any scoring chances and make smart, safe plays off the boards or up the ice .. tends to over skate the puck, as his hand skills are not quite developed .. his stride is elegant and graceful for a player of his size .. he closes the gap and gives players an extra shot, something he did not always do .. Sol's confidence has skyrocketed and so has his overall play .. he should make a nice mid-round selection for an NHL team.

Jordan Szwarz (2009), RW, Saginaw

Played on the second line for the majority of the season on the right side .. an ok skater, he did not make any improvements to his overall speed, even though he does show bursts of quickness and is able to switch directions fluently .. Szwarz is a good but not great stickhandler .. he creates due to his vision and presence around the goal but lacks the hands to bury his chances .. where he is successful is by using his teammates .. he has the instincts to know where to go with or without the puck .. this skill makes him a great two-way player and a viable option for coach Watson in almost any situation .. his goals are generally within the goal crease or directly in front of the goal .. he does not shoot enough and needs to assert himself more offensively .. he plays with gumption and is not afraid of attacking corners against players that are considerably bigger than his 5-foot-11, 185-pound frame .. Szwarz is the type of player every team covets, as his name was mentioned often at the trading deadline .. however, the Spirit were wise to hold onto him, as he embodies the type of character that wins hockey games and will sacrifice himself at any cost.

Nick Crawford (Buf), D, Saginaw

Crawford posted career highs in every single offensive category this season, as he doubled his totals from last year .. a reliable, swift skating defenseman that makes calculated decisions on the ice .. he has struggled a bit in the playoffs and has not exhibited the same type of desire and jam to win hockey games that he has shown in the past .. coordinated with the puck, his skills have improved largely in part to his confidence and patience .. his defensive game is tight but too often in the London series he was getting beaten in all areas of the ice, which is rather uncharacteristic for him .. Crawford will need to settle down but his progression to this part at the junior level has been steady.

Adam Comrie (Fla), D, Saginaw

The highest drafted among the three defenseman chosen to the NHL from the Saginaw roster last season has also shown the least in terms of development .. Comrie is renowned for his shot, however he has been slow to get it off, which resulted in him being removed from the top PP unit .. he is clueless in his own zone, as he simply cannot read the play and confuses both himself and his partner when opposing teams employ criss crosses, or switch wings when entering the zone .. he also does not commit to plays and in turn his decision making has suffered, as he allows a forward an extra second to make a play .. he rarely stays with his man and too often, lets him go .. Comrie did not add to his offensive totals this season and actually scored fewer goals; he has yet to register one in the playoffs too .. was told to go home during the year due to behavioural problems, this is likely a season Comrie wants to forget.

T.J. Brodie (Cgy), D, Saginaw

The backbone of this team, Brodie was by far one of the most improved players in the league and certainly on the Saginaw roster .. Brodie has played in excess of 30 minutes a game in the playoffs and the breakouts are tailored around him .. bursting out of the zone like a cannonball, Brodie is methodical when it comes to picking his spots and angles on the ice .. he plays in every situation and excels .. while slightly underdeveloped physically, (he has had problems putting on the weight) he is remarkably strong but uses his positioning and stick to sabotage offensive chances .. his shot has improved, as he gets it off faster and is always moving his feet to get into the best position to score .. he moves so well laterally that most forwards cannot keep up or know which direction he is moving in until he does, thus making his shots very difficult to block .. given the lack of defenseman prospects in Calgary's organization, Brodie has a good chance of leap frogging to the NHL faster than you might think and could possibly be a member of Team Canada at the WJC next year.

Jack Combs (Col), C, Saginaw

Combs put forth a sensational season two years ago, which landed him a tryout with the Colorado Avalanche .. he was one of the final cuts for the Lake Erie Monsters and returned to Saginaw to play out his OA year .. without the services of Ryan McDonough, Combs' numbers took a hit by 25 points but he still managed to score 75 in 62 games this season .. a slow and labouring skater, his hand skills are off the charts, as he can make the puck talk .. he did not always play with the same enthusiasm as he did last season, as he lost his fire and made suspect decisions with the puck in order to ignite offence .. has a great hard shot and is a natural when it comes to the offensive zone .. too often, he was not as proactive on the opposite side of the puck, as he was often caught too deep in the offensive zone to recover .. he did not always put forth the effort, which was what separated him from his peers last season .. motivation was not there, however when he wanted too, he could be the best player on the ice for both teams, as was evidenced in the opening round of the playoffs where he scored three consecutive multi-goal games, recording two game winners .. should get a chance to crack an AHL roster despite lacklustre overage season.