OPJHL: Smith, Caporusso create Buzz

Brendan Smith (2007) and Louie Caporusso (2007) are gaining plenty of attention during their rookie debuts with the St. Michael's Buzzers of the Ontario Provincial Junior A Hockey League. We also have a report on 2006 draft-eligible defenseman Harry Taylor.

Brendan Smith (2007), D

First-round pick of the St. Mike's Majors is an exceptional-skating defenseman with great offensive instincts .. can make quick shifts and moves to gain additional ice .. used often as a quarterback on the powerplay and is taking a regular shift as the team's youngest blueliner (one of only two '89-born players on St. Mike's) .. would really benefit from adding an aggressive edge and playing with more desperation .. boasts a good-sized frame however he isn't overly physical and needs to learn how to apply his body instead of relying on stickchecks to tie up his man .. recovers exceptionally well though he tends to venture too deep into the offensive zone at times .. has been given the green light to explore his puckcarrying abilities and his skill is certainly omnipresent .. just needs to work on his overall defensive approach.

Louie Caporusso (2007), C

Former Toronto Red Wing has helped fill the scoring void left by the departure of Andrew Cogliano to college .. the youngest player on the Buzzers, Caporusso was recently promoted to center the top line .. a small, shifty player with good transitional abilities .. skating is slick and elusive, able to sneak in and out of the corners, and doesn't shy away from traffic despite his lack of height (5-foot-10) .. appears equally comfortable working either the left or right sideboards .. makes sharp offensive zone decisions, however is also prone to turnovers when heavily pressured .. pesky on the forecheck .. possesses a nice shot which he gets away in a hurry .. finds passing lanes consistently and exhibits superb patience on the powerplay .. currently sitting second in team scoring (15-11-10-21) and certainly doesn't look out of place among the '89-born prospects.

Harry Taylor (2006), D

The older of the two Taylor brothers, Harry has emerged as a blueline mainstay upon assuming more duties with the loss of Kevin Schmidt to Bowling Green .. possesses nice size at 6-foot-3 and excels at positional awareness .. plays smart and never overcommits .. not particularly offensive-oriented but can make nice outlet passes .. skating is very fluid and stands out as his best asset .. carries the puck out of his zone efficiently .. able to shift from offense to defense with ease .. ties up his man effectively, plays the body, and is quite proficient at preventing his check from making a play.