OHL: Spirited Away

The young Saginaw Spirit are second-last in the Ontario Hockey League with a 13-27-1-4 record but have a bundle of good young talent to offer for the next two NHL drafts, including Tom Pyatt and Matt Corrente. Also read on for bonus notes on draft-eligibles Matt Lashoff and Richard Clune.

Matt Corrente (2006), D, Saginaw

A quality 16-year old rearguard .. good vision and anticipates puck flow effectively .. excellent poise on the puck for his age .. a deceptive, deliberate skater; is not flashy with his stride but top speed is respectable .. sound agility .. has a crisp, accurate first pass out of the zone .. made some inaccurate feeds in pressure situations, one that led to a fast break goal the other way .. dove to block a faked shot in front of the net, when he should have taken the body on the attacker who subsequently went around him .. needs to be more consistently physical with his body but does a respectable job for his age in that respect .. some checks were off the mark .. second overall selection in the 2004 OHL priority selection but has only average size, while his offensive imagination does not approach elite status.

Scott Fletcher (2006), D, Saginaw

Raw but big and has decent hands .. consistently plays the man instead of the puck .. has a lively stick; made interceptions and strips .. average skater; must develop better first steps and agility .. needs to be more decisive with the puck and make quicker decisions in possession .. vision is limited; he is rather plain in terms of what he can offer offensively .. needs to use his good-looking frame better to check and clear the crease.

Tom Pyatt (2005), C, Saginaw

His skating is difficult to identify .. top speed is quite decent but at times he seems to skate in quicksand, especially when open ice is limited .. lacks a quick takeoff, turns and often forgets to move his feet .. frequently looks stiff and uncomfortable but he his hands are good .. strong on faceoffs and is sturdy enough on his feet to win board battles .. thick, stocky but needs to get stronger on the puck .. has a bright enough mind to create at the junior level but there are no areas at which he truly excels.

Patrick Asselin (2005), LW, Saginaw

Foot work was average and turns were not always clean .. a solid, dependable penalty killer .. hard worker along the boards and in traffic .. good dedication, positional sense .. quick hands, surprisingly good hand-eye coordination .. generated some speed into the opponent's end but quickly was neutralized by a defenseman along the boards .. vision, creativity are not strong suits .. the kind of guy who, when he gets stronger, can work his way to respectable numbers, not much more .. cycles the puck smartly and stands his ground in traffic.

Matt Lashoff (2005), D, Kitchener

Likes to pinch and will sacrifice position on the point to put himself into scoring opportunities on the pp .. a very fluid skater and makes a crisp first pass out of the zone .. often prone to overhandling the puck instead of making the simple play .. his physical game is inconsistent and he must become meaner when attempting to clear bodies away from the crease .. must make his man pay; has the size and strength to do it but not always the confidence .. was too passive on the opposing attacker several times, which allowed the player to create more space for himself than desirable .. offensively, he is showing flashes of really evolving into a force; made two end-to-end rushes on the same shift in overtime, showcasing spectacular acceleration and extra gear .. thrives when he finds any open ice .. requires some time and patience but if the pieces start to fit he will dominate.

Myles Applebaum (2006), C, Kitchener

An chippy forechecking forward .. always moving his feet and generating nice speed and quickness .. strong positional sense and is relentless on the cycle .. thrives in four-on-four situations in a faster, high-pace game .. short shifts; conditioning is a factor and is most definitely still growing .. took a hit early in a shift and immediately came off the ice .. must bulk up to absorb hits better; otherwise he looks a bit intimidated out there.

Richard Clune (2005), LW, Sarnia

An aggressive stocky winger .. finishes his checks and uses his frame to take out his man .. prefers to cycle the puck down low and has only limited one-on-one skills .. often seen parked in front of the net looking to bury a rebound .. crashes the net and causes disturbances .. very short shifts; seldom exceed 30 seconds in duration .. seeing some time on both special teams .. deceptive skater accelerates well but does not always exhibit the speed he's capable of .. moves with a hunched-over style .. has some trouble reading the plays and falls behind the action .. positional errors and lack of hustle resulted in little-to-no action in the third period against Kitchener.