Prospects: The Kids are Alright
The annual rookie camp for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Florida Panthers and Montreal Canadiens was held recently at the Ricoh Coliseum. The tournament displayed many first round selections as well as walk on players who were invited in an attempt to make a positive impression on management. The Ottawa Senators were absent this season and were replaced by the York Lions. They failed to provide the three NHL teams much competition and subsequently finished last. The Leafs for the second straight year defended their title and managed a win in the dying minutes against the Canadiens on a late Jiri Tlusty goal.
McKeen's was on hand for the event and files notes on the three NHL teams and the players that made an impact.
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Florida Panthers
David Booth (C)
Quick player who can pick up speed.. excels in challenging defenders one-on-one .. good hands as he scored a nice back hand to fore hand goal, however missed on a penalty shot .. an intelligent player who makes others around him better .. very shifty and distributes the puck effectively .. will throw his weight around when necessary .. impressed every time he had the puck and always managed to make a play.
Drew Larman (C)
An honest hard working player .. he has a very strong upper body .. his skating holds him back as he has thin legs and is not able to generate much speed due to lack of a first step .. understands the game and knows where to be as was evidenced by his role on the PK unit .. quick snap shot and displays some creativity behind the net .. a leader as he wears an "A" and should make for a very reliable AHL player in years to come.
Stefan Meyer (C)
A sparkplug, high-energy player .. attempts to be physical but lacks the strength to be effective in that regard .. has decent speed but is not a breath-taking skater .. shows good speed once puck is in his sight .. defensively he is prone to lapses in judgement and it is still an area he needs work in .. tends to over stick handle and the power and weight behind his shot is not NHL calibre .. at times, looked a little out of position and was unable to adapt to the changes in play .. will need much seasoning and time to add more strength to make him a better super pest of a player.
Brady Calla (RW)
While still young and maturing, he showed little to be desired .. very weak on the puck and did not physically assert himself .. played very disinterested at times and one has to wonder if increased competition intimidates him .. lacked finish and intensity .. seemed to slow down when the puck was in his possession .. positives include his skating as he showed good speed and was relatively quick .. has a considerably long road ahead of him to achieve NHL dreams.
Michael Frolik (RW)
An extremely gifted player who scored at will .. rigid lower body prohibits him from generating top speed however, his intelligence and positioning skills make him an effective player .. displays a sneaky release, can shoot off back foot and caught many a goaltenders by surprise .. showed good defensive diligence especially when he lost the puck, he was a man possessed to get it back .. great anticipation and one can sense if he had better line mates he himself would be a better player .. playing in Rimouski (QMJHL) this season and should be able to produce in that league.
Kenndal McArdle (LW)
Had a very disappointing camp .. was not able to generate anything positive as the puck bounced away from him every time it touched his blade .. showed very little in creativity as he rarely did anything with the puck .. strength could be an issue as he checked many players and failed to make them budge .. needs to slow down his game a bit, seemed very tense as if he was trying to hard to make an impression .. was always a step behind in the play .. had a break away and literally shot it right into the chest of Pogge, did not even attempt to make a move .. should return to junior Moose Jaw (WHL) and work on his game.
A gifted skater and puck carrying defender .. was able to sneak out of trouble when he was pressured and made many good plays with the puck .. good mobility and reverse movement, did not loose his man while backing up .. finds outlets and can dictate the flow of the game .. should most likely make improvements to his game at the ECHL level this season.
Montreal Canadiens
Kyle Chipchura (C)
Wore the "C" as he shows the intelligence and work ethic to garner such an honour .. an average skater, he can cross over well despite his lack of first step quickness .. he is always moving his feet so his deficiency is not so exposed .. smart at finding his spots .. a versatile player who can fit in and adapt on any line with ranging skill sets and not look out of place .. a few seasons in the AHL should groom him for a third line role with the parent club.
A talented forward who explodes with offensive prowess and sensational speed .. uses his trunk and torso to generate good speed .. dynamic, he gets into scoring areas, darting inside and out making him very hard to contain and defend against .. disguises his actions as he constantly makes head and body shifts when crossing the line .. offensively he has finish as displayed with his patience to out wait the goalie and roof it upstairs courtesy of a backhand .. excels in a wide-open game however, he will need to add much needed strength and weight as he was pushed off the puck on occasions very easily .. a player to watch out for.
Ben Maxwell (C)
Ultra fast and talented forward showed considerable promise .. scored many goals and did not look out of place with players much older than him .. makes nice passes in traffic, backhand saucer passes with precision .. has a good shot but will still need more practise to make it NHL ready, when given time he is very effective at picking a corner .. shows tremendous poise and is starting to look like a steal from Montreal management.
Ryan White (RW)
Was playing out of position throughout the camps .. is a natural centre but was forced to play the wing due to a rash of injuries at camp .. an average player with decent skills .. does not excel in any particular area and struggles with his first step considerably .. seemed to lack intensity and was very wary of corner battles, avoided them often .. has good hand/eye coordination in front of the goal .. development should be slow.
Sergei Kostitsyn (LW)
He would really like to crack the Hamilton and play on the same team as his brother .. he appeared thicker but will still need to bulk up .. good vision on the PP where he excels in open ice .. distributes the puck fast and hard, it is on and off his stick in a second, which is one of his strong suits .. his play 5-5 was a tad suspect on some shifts .. defensively he needs to show a greater commitment and make things happen as opposed to him waiting around .. he may have to wait a season as he still looks like he could benefit by working on certain aspects of his game at the major junior level, London (OHL).
Mathieu Carle (D)
A swift skating defender .. good footwork and quick feet make him a good offensive minded defenseman .. led the tournament in defensive scoring .. he likes to push up and look for the offence however, there are times when he gets caught .. he understood that the players were much faster at these camps than in the QMJHL and tried to make adjustments .. made some gaffes, as his decision making needs to be faster .. coughed up the puck while he was being pestered by quicker players .. a good potential PP QB but will need time to mature.
Ryan O'Byrne (D)
Was the most physically developed of all the prospects at camp .. a monster of a defender who moved well and played a simple game while pushing opponents around and being mean .. at times was called for penalties because he was too rough and needs to be more selective at times when to assert himself physically .. turns well and seems unfazed as to when a faster player comes in on him, but will still need to make faster decisions .. very calm and provides the backend with such a presence that everyone feels more at ease .. offensively he has limited skills although he can read the plays just not make contributions on the score sheet .. looks to have a promising AHL career in the near future.
Carey Price (G)
Despite his size, he does not fill the net up as much as he should .. good drop to the butterfly and has quick pads .. laterally he is solid and he uses his stick to make many saves as he places it in front of him to direct rebounds .. follows the play well and his poise and positioning reminds a lot of a young Patrick Roy .. has to show greater consistency but looks like he should be able to play .. a back up role with the Canadian World Junior team could be added to his resume come Christmas.
Toronto Maple Leafs
John Mitchell (C)
An intriguing prospect as he has managed to get better and better at every level .. has a knack for scoring goals and getting into good open ice position in the offensive zone .. does not have great skating, looks as if he is lumbering at times .. pivoting needs work, as does his turning radius .. his hands are considerably quicker than his feet and he does a good job taking advantage of that .. will take the body and is getting stronger .. release on his shot is good but could still be faster if he is to be employed in a goal-scoring role .. should see ample time in the AHL this season and the tutelage of Coach Greg Gilbert should have a positive affect on his game.
Tyler Haskins (C)
Put fourth a decent effort however was ineffective in game situations .. a good learning experience for him as to what he needs to do to elevate his game .. slow first step but a decent stride when he gets going .. failed to convert or generate many if any scoring chances as he was used in a PK role .. he sees the ice well however may not have been in the right situation to lend his name to the score sheet .. should return to a potent Saginaw (OHL) line up as an over ager and continue to work on his game.
Robbie Earl (LW)
A smaller forward with exceptional wheels .. has good individual skills but seems lost in the mix as far as line mates are concerned, unable to develop any chemistry with them .. shifty as he moves well into the slot to get his shot off .. tries to be assertive and is the type of player due to his speed that makes bigger guys look foolish when they try to hit him .. should see some AHL duty this year as he had a decent playoff with the Marlies last season.
Jiri Tlusty (LW)
Youngest player on Leafs roster quietly scoring five goals in the tournament, tied for the tournament lead with teammate John Mitchell, however three goals were scored against the York Lions.. saw ample PP time, which was largely responsible for his numbers .. still quite raw despite his offensive production as he needs to constantly move his feet and show more jam .. seemed sluggish at times .. good play maker and seems more comfortable in that role than being the finisher .. has a good snap shot, scored GWG to win the tournament .. will go to the net to bury rebounds and has a modest sized frame to withstand abuse for a short time .. while many Leaf fans wish to be optimistic about their first round selection he will most likely start in Sault Ste. Marie (OHL) to get him more acclimatized with the North American game and the increased game schedule.
Justin Pogge (G)
Entered this tournament as perhaps the most valuable prospect for all participating teams .. a quick goalie that moves well laterally but still looks a little frazzled on occasion .. does a good job of redirecting his shots to the corner with his fast pads .. spreads himself out when expecting a shot, like a butterfly opening its wings .. communicates verbally with defenders and is always talking to them .. decent stick handler .. poised and ready his focus is his best attribute, as he never looses sight of the puck .. traditionally goalies take longer to develop and Pogge will be no exception, a few years of seasoning in the AHL should get him used to the pace and quickness of the pro game.