QMJHL: Yandle Wildcat Coyote

Phoenix fourth-rounder Keith Yandle has made a seamless transition to Canadian Major Junior hockey and sits fourth in scoring among QMJHL blueliners (17-5-13-18). Here are updates on the Coyotes draftee as well goalie Gabriel Bouthillette (Ana) and a pair of Philadelphia Flyers in Oskars Bartulis and Frederik Cabana.

Keith Yandle (Phx), D, Moncton

Logging a ton of icetime in all situations during his debut with the Wildcats .. a strong skater with very good quickness and mobility for his size .. likes to join the offensive rush, especially on the power play where he is very effective .. capable of rushing the puck end to end .. leads Moncton with a plus-15 rating ... strong on his skates and is quite adept at using his physicality to defend his goalie, ties up and can overpower his checks .. battles hard in the corners and stands up to opponents in all areas of the ice .. crisp accurate passer, makes nice outlet feeds .. possesses a hard point shot .. good shot-blocker .. knows his defensive duties and seems to be staying away from the undisciplined penalties, though has dropped the gloves and won a few unanimous fighting decisions .. doesn't go looking for battles however .. tough competitor with an intriguing two-way skillset.

Oskars Bartulis (Phi), D, Moncton

Kind of underwhelming defenseman who plays a simple but effective game .. more of a stay at home type though also has some sharp passing and puckhandling abilities as well as a good low pointshot .. however, he is often tentative about joining the rush and reluctant to show of his abilities to the fullest .. well-balanced skater with decent speed once he gets into full motion .. can be usually counted on to make the right decision .. seems to have good awareness in the d-zone but is not a physically punishing player .. relies on his stick and body positioning to handle one-on-one situations which he is fairly adept at .. will compete along the boards but is prone to losing some puck battles which have led to some goals against this season .. would greatly benefit from adding muscle and a bit more jam.

Frederik Cabana (Phi), C, Halifax

Intense, strong-skating pivot plays an energetic two-way game .. fearless and hard-working, aggressive along the boards and in the corners .. there is some method to his madness however as he also displays intelligent offensive instincts and can handle and pass the puck better than your average grinder .. wins faceoffs and is a tenacious hound on the forecheck and while killing penalties .. possesses a solid wristshot as well as a quick release .. hard-driving skater who shows adequate quickness once in motion .. great worker, always hustling and creating havoc .. displays solid leadership qualities .. never shies from the physical contests and willingly drops the gloves to defend himself or a teammate.

Gabriel Bouthillette (Ana), G, Acadie-Bathurst

A big goalie who knows how to use his size to advantage .. long limbs help shut down the lower portions of the net while his big frame allows him to pounce on rebounds quickly .. also getting the most out of his extra-large equipment as the QMJHL did not adopt the NHL's limitations regarding the size of goalie gear for `05-6 .. a perceptive goalie who reads plays correctly .. moves well laterally using the butterfly technique .. his positional play is quite good as he stays patient and holds his ground .. nice coverage on angles and does well to stay square to the shooter .. possesses a decent glove hand .. one area that does need work is his recovery time as he is somewhat slow to spring up from his knees.