OHL: Storm on the Horizon

McKeen's correspondent David Burstyn looks at the two most sought after NHL draft-eligible prospects on the Guelph Storm in Peter Holland and Taylor Beck. Both players are having productive seasons thus far, as they currently rank 1-2 in team scoring respectively.

Peter Holland (2009), C, Guelph

Holland has developed considerably in the last few weeks, enough for him to warrant spot duty on the first line and garner ample PP minutes on one of the top teams in the Midwest Division .. he currently leads his team in scoring and has been both a threat to pass or shoot as his totals indicate (20-11-10-21), which makes it difficult for defenders as they can't over play him .. Holland has learned to use his size more in open-ice situations but has become extremely effective down low where his size and supple hands terrorize the opposition .. he can still get ahead of himself and his style of play is a tad immature .. he will try to beat the same guy twice on a shift and it appears to be more of an ego thing with him rather than lack of sense .. he bullies his way into the offensive zone but can be too passive in the other two zones .. his play in the neutral zone is alarming, as he appears to be content to let his linemates get him the puck and not work for it .. can make good decisions for the most part but still tends to force things, yet another example of his immaturity .. needs to shoot in the slot and take advantage of the time and space he creates .. at times, he will pass when he should shoot and vice versa .. a physical, yet honest player, he is drawing attention to himself by how well he is able to marry his skills to his ever-growing frame .. appears to be in the top 50 with the ability to sneak into the end of the first round should he continue to offensively dominate and mentally mature.

Taylor Beck (2009), LW, Guelph

Trailing only Holland in team scoring, the Niagara Falls native is a beacon of hope to this team, as he embodies the work ethic and scoring ability at this level to be a very successful OHL player .. his skating holds him back, as he is simply unable to separate himself from the skaters at this level .. his stride has cleaned up but his lack of a first step still plagues him .. he does show some creativity and loves to stickhandle with the puck in his feet, coaxing defenders to strip him off it only to make an inside/outside toe drag, which has been his patent move thus far .. he has the hands to bury his chances, as he plays more of a short game .. he plays a pretty basic power game as he is big, strong and fearless .. all the components are there including a desire to succeed but he desperately needs to work on his skating.