OHL: Talented Wolski disappoints
The St. Mike’s Majors and Brampton Battalion hooked up for an afternoon tilt on Sunday, September 21 in Toronto. There were dozens of NHL scouts in attendance, presumably taking a look at top 2004 NHL draft prospect Wojtek Wolski, who had a quiet afternoon in the 3-2 Battalion victory. NHL draftees Tim Brent, Kevin Klein and Adam Henrich took the spotlight in what was a bit of a sloppy game. Here are a few notes on some of the game’s more notable participants.
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Anaheim selected the classy playmaker in the second round of the 2002 draft. Brent will be expected to lead the Majors’ offensive efforts this season, especially with the departure of last year’s leading scorer Frantisek Lukes. Brent is a fluid skater who plays a cerebral game. He has a lot of poise with the puck, and an innate ability to find the open man. He had several good chances to score, connecting once to bring the game within a goal down the stretch. Brent will need to add some weight and strength before he’s ready to make the jump to the pro ranks.
The Carolina Hurricanes selected Rorabeck with their final pick in the 2003 draft. With the departure of Lukes and Scott Horvath, Rorabeck was named an assistant captain for this season’s Majors squad. Rorabeck plays a solid two-way game, and has a good work ethic. Like Brent, he must add strength to his lanky frame. If he can upgrade his skating over the course of the season, Rorabeck has the potential to be a defensive forward in the pro ranks.
Nashville was happy to grab the multi-talented Klein at the 37th spot in last June’s draft. Klein is a great skater and knows how to position himself on the ice. He is currently logging heavy minutes for St. Mike’s; a trend precipitated by the absence of Anaheim pick Shane O’Brien. Klein does a good job managing the point on the power play and has settled in nicely mentoring the Majors second round pick, rearguard Ryan Wilson.
The Major’s first round pick in the 2003 OHL draft is a smallish, feisty playmaker. Clutterbuck is a good stick handler, who was not intimidated by the larger veteran Battalion defensemen. He is currently playing at 5-11 and 165lbs, but since he has not enjoyed his 16th birthday yet, it’s reasonable to assume he still has some growing to do. Clutterbuck got involved in an altercation with a much bigger Battalion player in the fight-filled second period, and stood his ground despite being overmatched. He looks like he should be able to make good contributions to the Majors cause this season.
The Battalion center had just returned from the Toronto Maple Leafs training camp on a try-out basis. Harrison is absolutely huge at 6-5, and knows his way around both ends of the rink. He scored the game’s opening goal on an unassisted effort. While not a spectacular offensive player at this point, Harrison’s skating and size make him a player that is worth watching over the course of the season. He is the younger brother of Maple Leafs’ prospect Jay Harrison.
Wolski had a solid rookie season last year in Brampton, scoring 57 points in 64 games. His combination of skating and size have scouts drooling over him as a potential top pick in the 2004 NHL entry draft. As a result, his performance on the day was a bit disappointing, as he failed to make the scoring sheet, and rarely used any of his assets to his advantage. Lined up alongside Tyler Harrison for most of the game, and received considerable power play time.
The Tampa Bay Lightning prospect is a mountain of a man, and it’s easy to see why he’s projected as a potential NHL power forward. He’s a good skater who knows how to use his size to maximum advantage. Henrich was the center of attention in a fight-filled second period, and faired well in a bout with Canucks draft pick Nathan McIver. The book on Henrich is that he must upgrade his consistency and defensive play before he graduates to the pro ranks.