Shielding the Blow

Much was expected from the Erie Otters who finally looked well on their way to producing a winner, however a funny thing happened to start the season. Ryan O'Reilly a second round NHL pick made the Colorado Avalanche, thus leaving a huge and an irreplaceable void up the middle. The loss of Jaroslav Janus to the AHL did not help matters either, as the Otters faltered out of the gate. Janus has since returned and the NHL-draft-eligible players such as Yogan and McKegg are supplementing the scoring. A trio of young players, in Gottzmann, Broll and Austin are paving the way for the once again rebuilding Otters.

McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn profiles Andrew Yogan, Greg McKegg, Jaroslav Janus, David Shields, Brady Austin, Jeremy Gottzmann and David Broll of the Erie Otters.

Andrew Yogan (2010), LW, Erie

Yogan continues to produce at a point-a-game-clip since coming over to Erie last December .. a skilled offensive player with an awkward skating style, he has little to no stride for a player that is 6-foot-3 .. he takes very short strides, keeping his feet too close together and therefore garners little to no speed out of the gate .. due to his awkward skating technique his pivoting and turning radius suffers .. his overall mobility is not great either .. does not move his feet in the defensive zone and is completely lost without the puck .. he also does not assert himself physically and is far too passive when opportunities to hit a player arise .. skilled with open ice, he has nice reach and decent finish, as he can slide pucks past goalies .. his shot is not over powering but his passing skills are plausible .. Yogan simply does not put forth the effort that is needed to go pro .. while he can put up points at the junior level, he has the look of a pretender.

Greg McKegg (2010), LW, Erie

McKegg made noticeable improvement this season in the defensive side of the game .. after being snubbed for the U18 team, he committed himself to the gym and gained additional lower body weight, which has helped him in the trenches .. he still gets knocked off the puck far too often and one has to wonder if his balance is an issue .. he is a bowlegged skater who has a quick first step and a wide skating base .. what is most attractive to McKegg's game is his commitment to playing a team game and not playing such a selfish game as he was last season .. he has learned under coach Ftorek and is effective in the neutral zone, as he pickpockets slow-footed forwards from behind .. offensively, his hockey sense and vision are not elite .. he does not always see the best possible play but does have a nose for the net and can bury his chances .. playing along side Torquato and Cazzola on the top unit has helped to bring out his offensive game .. he has already surpassed his offensive totals from last year and looks poised to score 30 goals this season .. more of a finisher than a playmaker, as he lacks imagination .. his decision making with his shot comes into question, as he shoots when he shouldn't and seems to have a lack of confidence in his shot .. strength needs to be improved, as he does not have much functional strength .. there are aspects of his game that are appreciated but he needs to put everything together to be considered a legitimate pro.

Jaroslav Janus (TB), G, Erie

After a two-game stint with the Norfolk Admirals, Janus was released back to junior where he should assume a bulk of the starting duties for the Otters .. performed admirably in the AHL, Janus should be a shot in the arm for the Otters, as he should give the team a chance to win every contest he starts .. an athletic goalie that is not against flopping to make a save, as he relies heavily on his quick reflexes .. good lateral movement, as he has a quick shuffle .. regularly comes out to challenge and exhibits good rebound control .. protects his five-hole and offers very little in terms of the lower portion of the net .. competes hard and boasts strong mental composure .. Janus should be a part of the Lightning's plans, as he offers depth in a position where the Lightning are not overly stocked.

David Shields (StL), D, Erie

Shields has elevated his game this season with the puck .. still a lumbering skater with minimal high-end speed, he does lose his fair share of foot races at this level .. he is moving his feet quicker, yet still gets beaten with a fair degree of ease .. his puck skills have shown vast improvement, as he is now skating with the puck out of the zone where as before it was glass and out .. capable of making a quality first pass .. playing in front of the goal on the PP looking for tips and deflections, as his big frame is a good option to screen goalies .. Shields has struggled against the elite teams this season such as Barrie, London and Windsor, as he cannot contain speed .. his size serves him well but without a healthy mean streak, the opposition continues to dance around him.

Brady Austin (2011), D, F, Erie

Coach Ftorek is still experimenting with Austin and has had him playing both the forward and defenseman position in recent games .. was unable to develop any type of involvement in the game, as the flow seemed to overwhelm him, as did the transition from his natural defensive position .. originally drafted as a defenseman in the second round, he has ok feet and a sizeable body to clear the crease, when need be .. looked unsure of his offensive skills but kept it simple with charges to the net and was responsible enough not to get caught too deep .. played well positionally for the most part, as he clogged passing lanes and kept himself square to the shooter .. given time he should be able to develop into a viable defensive option as he is 6-foot-4 and over 220 pounds, yet can still move fairly well.

Jeremy Gottzmann (2011), C, Erie

Gottzmann has little to show for on the offensive side of things this year with a lone assist in 17 games .. he does bring a compete level that is unrivalled by players of his stature (5-8, 170) .. willingly goes into danger areas knowing that he will be hit to retrieve a puck .. works diligently and hard along the boards to manufacture a play .. he plays much bigger than his size and has good first-step quickness to get into the open .. shows creativity and offensive polish .. shows the skill and hockey sense to be a solid point producer as early as next season, however given his lack of experience, playing time and strength, he is unable to make a contribution as quickly as he would like .. Ftorek has a history of grooming rookies and making them earn their ice and Gottzmann will be no exception to that coaching philosophy.

David Broll (2011), LW, Erie

Broll is a budding, young, power forward cut from the same mould as a young Nick Palmieri .. Broll would benefit by being more physical and mean .. at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, he does not intimidate the opposition even though he has the size to do so .. Broll excels in the short game, as he lacks foot speed to be effective in open ice .. he gets beaten like a pylon when he tries to defend, as players skate around him with relative ease .. he simply does not know where to go in the defensive zone and his lapses in judgement in terms of positioning and stickwork are glowing areas of concern for coach Ftorek and his coaching staff .. Broll also falls down far too much for a player of his size .. he is easily pushed off the puck .. he does have a decent shot in close and ok hands for passing .. was recently named to the Team Ontario U17 squad .. playing with his peers should do wonders for his self-confidence, as he looks to be very discouraged at this point of the OHL season, as he has yet to register a single point in the month of November.