Prospects Tournament: Jr. A/Jr. B Report

The Prospects Tournament is the final event of the year leading up to the OHL draft and gives scouts one last chance to make their assessments of draft hopefuls. James Livingston has been drawing a lot of attention with his play on the right wing, while defenseman Blake Partlett's game developed well this season and he looks to have first round potential. David Burstyn profiles several notable players from Provincial Jr. A and Western Jr. B.

Blake Partlett (2007), D, Huntsville Muskoka Otters, Jr. A

A smart stay-at-home defenseman who sees the ice very well .. constantly moving and finding open ice, can set up plays and is the QB on the PP .. does not get caught as his skating allows him to rush a play and quickly recover .. not overly confident logging the puck up ice but that should come with time .. has size but will look to add some weight in the off-season .. overall skating is fluid with nice acceleration .. Outlook: Partlett played with men this season and the decision helped in his development. He logged a lot of minutes this season and played in all situations. He produced decent numbers (48-4-12-16-54) and should look to add to that total next year in the OHL. Partlett has definite first round potential.

Brett Parnham (2007), C, Huntsville Muskoka Otters, Jr. A

A slick play maker who has a cannon of a shot .. skating is crisp, great first two steps which creates good straightaway speed .. has nice outside speed, needs to get bigger to be able to charge the net with authority .. able to distribute the puck into scoring areas .. scoring threat in open ice situations .. able to weave around players and pass or shoot .. dangerous off the draw if not tied up, as keen anticipation skills and hustle lead to puck possession in close scoring areas .. Outlook: Parnham recorded impressive numbers for a rookie, (49-12-18-30-35). His skating, speed and offensive wizardry should land him within the first 30 picks.

Joe Gaynor (2007) LW, Stratford Cullitons, Western Jr. B

A huge winger who never stops moving and is a physical presence .. uses whole body to generate speed with a long powerful stride .. first step could use work but covers a lot of ice due to his large frame .. charges the net constantly and is tough to contain down low .. finishes checks and competes hard .. seems to be able to get in scoring opportunities but lacks finish .. Outlook: Played at a higher level than his peers and skating for a class organization such as the Cullitons helped Gaynor's two-way play. His defensive awareness and overall game was superior to that of anyone he played with. While his scoring exploits didn't turn many heads this season (44-3-10-49) his playoff play was among the best on the team. Gaynor will not be relied on his ability to put the puck in the net at the next level but his size and skill level should still make him an attractive third round selection.

Evan Zych (2007) D, Cambridge Winterhawks, Western Jr. B

A tall defender who plays a solid game at both ends of the rink .. an extremely smooth skater with great reverse movement and can join a rush at a second's notice .. able to identify when he should rush or hang back .. nice on-ice vision in his ability to find passing lanes .. keeps shots low and hard and plays both the PK and PP .. continually wants the puck .. scored a nice goal on follow-up to his own shot .. possesses solid positional play in defensive zone, able to stop a 2-1 by communicating well with partner and diving in the process .. must add weight to frame to be more physical.. able to contain players at this level along the boards but may not be successful at next plateau .. Outlook: Cambridge had two rookie defence studs this season and both Zych and Corey Syvret (Danny's younger brother) will be selected in this year's OHL draft in the top two rounds. Syvret may go a little higher due to his toughness but Zych is a complete package who strives to get better with every shift and wants to be on the ice when the game is on the line.

Daniel Minor (2007) RW, Port Colborne Sailors, Golden Horseshoe Jr. B

A player who can score goals .. has a quick release to an accurate shot .. parks himself in front of the net and has very soft hands around the net .. scored 6 goals in one game .. good anticipation skills as he always seems to be where the puck is in offensive zone .. small, stocky build and rarely finishes checks or pushes people around .. skating style is somewhat weak and is not an overly fast skater .. play without the puck is questionable and he needs to score to be effective .. Outlook: Minor can score, make no mistake about it. He notched 25 goals (team high) but registered less than half that number in assists. He needs to adopt the cycle game and better utilize his teammates. His conditioning is a factor; at times he was caught leaning on his stick and could not always keep up with the play. A team will take a crack at him in the first three rounds.

Andrew Loverock (2007) G, Barrie Colts, OHMA

A stand up goalie .. 6'4, but skinny.. manages to cover a lot of net .. challenges shooters, stays with forwards and waits until the last second to go down .. strong positioning eliminates a good scoring chance .. good movement across crease, follows the puck well .. quick reflexes and agile .. puck-handling skills are not his strong suit .. Outlook: Loverock was a pillar in net. He stands tall and is very confident. He made many brilliant saves in one contest and recorded a shutout in the process. This year's crop of goalies is not overly strong with the exceptions of Borden and Jake Fisher (St.Mary's Jr.B), so this can only help Loverock's stock. He'll be a late third rounder or early fourth rounder, although he could go earlier if a team gets desperate for a goalie.

James Livingston (2008) RW, York Simcoe Express, GTHL

A giant forward with an incredible mean streak .. does not like opposition one bit, always roughing it up with players and throwing his weight around .. has keen vision and soft hands that are equally capable of shooting top shelf or feathering a nice pass across the goal line .. strong on his skates and has a long, yet choppy, stride .. must keep his composure and be aware of lengthy shifts .. has a tendency to try to do too much .. works hard and does not give up on plays .. Outlook: Livingston's size and skill level is similar to Joe Thornton at the same age. A year younger than his peers participating in this tournament he is already showing signs of dominance. He seems to be able to do whatever he wants to do and has been mentioned in the same breathe as John Tavares as far as top 1990 players. It should be exciting to watch him play next season and monitor his development.

Kevin Shattenkirk (2007) D, East Coast Selects

A highly skilled defender who excels offensively .. impressive skating style, good acceleration and quick stride enables him to join rushes or hang back as he sees play develop .. smart with the puck and beats guys off the boards or with an array of stick-handling abilities .. elusive and sneaks in behind defenders to generate scoring opportunities .. communicates well with players and positions himself in scoring areas .. follows play well, especially on PP .. hard shot always seems to be on the net .. Outlook: Should Shattenkirk decide to play in the OHL, his quality PP quarterback skills alone will warrant top 10 consideration. He is an intelligent player who is always on the ice when his team scores. There have been rumours of him balking at the CHL and his skill level at his age will make him a worthy candidate for the US U-17 program. A player to keep an eye on in the future, no question.

Doug Leaverton (2007) D, Honeybaked Black

A big defender who handles the puck extremely well .. very confident with puck .. can rush the play up the ice or make a great first pass; both options create excellent scoring chances .. plays a smart game as he does not try to do too much .. clears net, ices puck, uses boards effectively to make nice passes .. has speed and a wicked first step, exhibited best when leaving his zone and blowing by two forwards, which he did constantly throughout game .. nice lateral movement and fluid skating allow him to gamble on plays due to his recovery skills .. Outlook: Leaverton is a smart player, which, when combined with his size, makes him an attractive package. He has the ability to slow down the game and find the best options available to him. It would not be inconceivable for him to be selected in the third round and win a roster spot in training camp.

CJ Severyn (2007) RW, Honeybaked Black

A big, tall forward who competes very hard .. always moves his feet and is a pesky fore-checker .. nice vision and can set up teammates well with crisp, accurate passes .. able to make moves in close, resulting in higher percentage scoring opportunities .. attempts to crash the crease and while he is bigger than his peers at this level, he must gain upper-body strength to play this type of game at a higher level .. must concentrate on making simple plays when clearing the zone as opposed to trying to beat two players and losing the puck in the process .. Outlook: Severyn is raw but does have a sturdy frame in which to build on. He possess an all-around game and could be effective on a team within a certain capacity. The OHL could be an option but most American born players tend to lean towards the NCAA - Severyn may be no exception.

SIDE NOTES: Many other notable players did not make the tournament for various reason: Matt Rust, Tristin Llewellyn, Mark Katic and Nick Petrecki among them. Petrecki, a projected number 1 pick for this year's draft, is managed by Bobby Orr and was told not to come With his demands becoming increasingly high, it remains to be seen whether or not he will report to the OHL. Oshawa continues to speak with the towering defender (6'3, 205), who is described as a man playing with boys.