OHL: Solomon’s Sting

After claiming a divisional title last season, the Sarnia Sting now find themselves buried in the basement of the OHL's Western Conference. But there is hope for the future according to correspondent Doug Evinou, who reports that a nucleus of young players have been garnering heavy minutes and invaluable experience. Here are recent game notes on Nick Tuzzolino, Richard Clune, Mike Iafrate and Trevor Solomon.

Nick Tuzzolino (2005), D, Sarnia

Enormous rearguard flirted with going the NCAA route this season but opted instead for Sarnia, who selected him in the 2002 OHL Priority Selection (247th overall) .. remarkably mobile for a man his size, joins the rush on many offensive forays and moves well on the power play to open space .. scored the team's first goal (his second of the season) on the power play by moving from the point to the slot and firing home a wristshot .. right-handed shot .. gets ample ice time in all situations on a very young Sarnia team .. probably not the most ideal powerplay quarterback at higher levels of hockey, but he puts in a decent performance out of necessity for the Sting .. does a good job on the penalty kill keeping the front of the crease clear .. while he is an adequate skater, he does have a propensity to stop moving his feet at times, which can lead to trouble in his own zone .. his footwork and first-step quickness are the key areas where he needs work .. a full year older then most of the `05's after being ranked 133rd among North American skaters by Central Scouting for last year's draft before opting out .. regardless, he is a fast-rising prospect whose size and ability to play the game will garner attention come draft time.

Richard Clune (2005), LW, Sarnia

Speedy and energetic forward who gets right on the opposition and forces mistakes and turnovers .. excels on the penalty kill, hounds the opposition rearguards all over the ice .. forced Majors' rearguard Scott Lehman to retreat all the way back into his own end and cough the puck up, and then prevented Nathan McIver from moving the puck, killing valuable seconds while killing a penalty .. did some excellent work on the cycle with linemate Mark Versteeg-Lytwyn, absorbing hits to make plays, and eventually getting the puck to the front of the net, creating a fine scoring chance for Versteeg-Lytwyn .. Clune's skating will get him noticed, although there are some concerns about his size (5-11/195) and overall offensive abilities .. his puck skills and offensive imagination are not elite .. most of his chances are generated through effort rather then skill .. it's difficult to say how effective he'll be at the next level, though his skating, work ethic and penalty-killing abilities are definitely intriguing.

Trevor Solomon (2006), D, Sarnia

Second-year rearguard plays alongside Nick Tuzzolino in most situations .. selected 17th overall in the `03 OHL draft from the Sault Ste. Marie North Stars .. moves the puck extremely well and is the club's top-scoring blueliner (55-6-14-20) .. has the size and strength to maintain good defensive position in his own end .. not an overly aggressive player, however, despite having above-average size by OHL standards .. a fluid skater with good acceleration and mobility .. did get caught pinching in the second period going for a hit in the neutral zone, which led to a goal against .. didn't pick his spot very well in this instance, but is generally a safe blueliner who makes smart decisions .. carries a decent plus-minus rating (minus-6) given team has allowed 65 more goals than they have scored .. has the potential to be a very effective two-way rearguard.

Mike Iafrate (2005), G, Sarnia

Surprise starter ahead of Los Angeles draft pick Ryan Munce .. a small agile goalie who moves quickly from post to post and has a good glovehand .. had some trouble controlling rebounds, letting some pucks bounce dangerously in front of his net .. not overly proficient handling the puck, missed a few that he tried to stop behind the net, and another time turned the puck over to a Majors' forward while trying to clear the zone .. Iafrate is vulnerable when he gets moving, as he doesn't have the size to stay 'big' in his crease .. has the makings to be a decent OHL goalie because of his quickness, however his lack of size (5-9, 170) makes him a long shot to get selected in the NHL draft.

Game Notes: Promising Sarnia defenseman Matt Pelech is out for the rest of the season after breaking his jaw during an incident against Sault Ste. Marie on January 23rd. Greyhounds' overage forward Reg Thomas (a former Sting player) received a 15-game suspension from the league for his role in the altercation.