QMJHL: He Schutz, He Scores

McKeen's correspondent Mike Chisholm analyzes several key draft-eligible prospects in Andrew Bodnarchuk and Jason Legault, as well as imports Jiri Suchy and Felix Schutz. Also reviewed are 2005 first overall QMJHL draft selection Alex Grant and Phoenix draft pick Kevin Cormier.

Jiri Suchy (2006), D, Halifax

Stocky wrecking ball uses his body to keep opposing forwards at bay .. applies impressive strength to tie up his man .. makes up for lack of size with stocky build and good balance .. loves to use his body along the boards and deliver the big hit .. good hands with the puck and delivers crisp, accurate passes up ice .. decision making skills have improved .. does not possess a lot of speed but can be deceptively quick and in control of his body .. needs to be more selective when going for a hit, as he often tends to go overboard in that regard and takes himself out of position.

Andrew Bodnarchuk (2006), D, Halifax

Small but wily defender .. always an offensive threat with impressive defensive maturity .. not overly physical but is willing to get his frame involved .. relies on his strong body, nice reach, quickness and positional skills to take away a skater's space .. sound skater gets back quickly in position after pinching and has an accurate, low slap shot .. skilled hands .. will get ample icetime this season.

Kevin Cormier (Phx), LW, Halifax

Visible strides made to his overall game since last season .. average skater lacks takeoff .. very tough and effectively clears the crease and sets the screen in front of the net .. takes a beating but refuses to budge .. strong on his feet thanks to his great balance and size .. impressive determination and work ethic on every shift .. good, hard slap shot .. gritty and mean .. one of the more feared fighters in the league .. puck skills are limited but he is showing better poise and control of his body when in possession.

Alex Grant (2007), D, Saint John

Stud was the top selection in the 2005 QMJHL Midget Draft .. adjusting exceptionally well to the league so far .. offensively skilled rearguard has excellent speed and vision .. strong on his feet for his age with good balance .. nice fluidity and takeoff .. smart and efficient decision maker with a crisp first pass out of the zone .. carries the puck with confidence .. excellent vision and anticipation skills .. still raw but is working on his man-on-man coverage; must still bulk up and utilize his body better .. has a hard time handling large forwards around the net.

Felix Schutz (2006), C, Saint John

Stocky centre is savvy and hard working .. quick, elusive skater with speed .. aggressive and gets himself involved in traffic areas despite a lack of height .. very good hands on the puck and can feather a smooth pass and release a shot with some jam to it .. smooth sailing for the rookie thus far.

Jason Legault (2006), D, Victoriaville

Big, raw defender will require some patience .. not showing the quickness he did in earlier viewings, as his feet move as if in quicksand .. suffered through some positional misadventures early this season, struggling to contain the man one-on-one, playing the puck instead of the person .. gets involved in puck battles and will win a bulk of them once he gets stronger .. outlet passes show promise and he has pretty good hands .. hasn't made the expected strides since last spring.