Soaring High Again

The defending Ontario Hockey League and Memorial Cup champion Windsor Spitfires are back in contention for another run this season. The red-hot Spitfires boast two of the potential top three picks for this summer's draft in Taylor Hall and Cam Fowler. McKeen's scout Patrick King takes a look at Hall, Fowler and another two draft-eligible prospects in Austin Watson and Justin Shugg.

Taylor Hall (2010), LW, Windsor

A pure offensive dynamo .. he always wants the puck on his stick but will sometimes over handle, trying to create too much .. he can make high-end stick moves at full speed and often plays as if he's the only one on the ice .. his anticipation skills are top notch, as he's always breaking behind D looking for breakaway pass .. a step ahead on the ice, his anticipation enables him to get jump on defenders on transition and opens himself up for breakaways .. has the ability to make defenders look like pylons with his shifty array of stickhandling moves .. has a hard and heavy shot .. he rotates on the powerplay from down low to the half boards and has a quick and accurate release on his one-timers .. he tends to draw defenders to him in the offensive zone, at which point he has the vision to find an open man for the feed .. has developed some bad habits in his game, most notably low percentage rink-wide passes while entering the zone on the powerplay, as opposed to dropping back to the defenceman .. has soft hands around the net and can score many different ways .. developed a lot of chemistry with newcomer Cam Fowler .. will emerge from the corner for a redirect tip on the powerplay .. as explosive as he is, he has had difficulty finishing off the easier plays, most notably breakaways .. he will, however, score the more difficult goals .. has a relentless drive that enables him to win puck battles .. he separates the man well on the backcheck .. he shows a willingness to play defensively and will help out down low .. he's a reliable defender but won't be a regular on the penalty kill at the next level .. he has been able to avoid being on the receiving end of some big hits due to his unbelievably quick acceleration .. his self-preservation skills are strong, as he hunkers down along the wall and spreads his legs when a defender lines him up for a big check to absorb less of the shoulder .. he likes joining the rush with speed and will circle back in the neutral zone with the puck to gain momentum .. although there will be a maturation process for Hall at the next level, his skating, speed and electrifying game-breaking ability will make him a star and franchise player before long.

Cam Fowler (2010), D, Windsor

The coveted signing for the Spitfires last season has been as good as advertised .. his mobility is on par with his hockey sense as his best attribute .. has a great, fluid stride, which enables him to play as if on an island .. his mobility and hockey sense is ahead of everyone else's on the ice but tends to play with a cocky edge to his game .. has coughed up the puck a few instances when trying to dance away from forecheckers, which has resulted in goals .. his decision-making with the puck is very strong .. if a play is not available to him, he will retreat back and regroup .. he has the ability to hit the home-run pass out of the zone but mostly takes what is available, rather than trying to force something .. his offensive vision is top notch .. he has the ability to make beauty slap-passes to teammates coming out of the corner .. most of his shots are low and off the net for his forwards to tip .. he disguises his intentions well when he winds back to take slapshots .. has a fairly accurate slapshot but will not overpower goaltenders .. his mobility enables him to toe the line with the puck while looking for shooting lanes .. his defensive positioning is strong but he can seem passive at times .. doesn't finish many checks but uses his stick well to separate the man from the puck .. reads the play well but doesn't have the same intensity in defending that he does with the puck or in the offensive zone .. his gap control is superb .. he makes it very difficult for forwards to enter the zone .. he will often keep a gap less than a stick length away, which forces forwards into a dump-and-chase style .. will step into a forward's lane after a dump in, giving his D partner more opportunity to gain possession of the puck .. his hockey sense and mobility are well above the level of competition he faces .. he will be a pro next season, as many of the aspects of his game are already NHL-caliber.

Austin Watson (2010), RW, Windsor

Second-year player is growing by leaps and bounds .. he is gaining confidence with each game but has had bouts of inconsistency .. has a frame that will get him noticed but desperately needs to fill out .. lacks lower-body strength .. he is often muscled down to the ice by being leaned on .. is showing more flair in the offensive zone but is not a natural finisher .. his ability is better suited as a playmaker but he will drive the net and look for rebounds down low .. exhibits good patience with the puck and can draw defenders to him while still finding the open man down low .. is a very reliable defender .. his work ethic defensively is strong and he is a strong penalty killer .. he gets in passing lanes and willingly throws his body down to block shots .. his first few strides aren't great but his top-end speed is decent for a player his size .. will take a hit to make a play .. needs to gain better balance, as his skating will never be a strength .. should develop into a solid third-line grinder and penalty killer, as offensive upside seems somewhat limited.

Justin Shugg (2010), RW, Windsor

Has had a strong start to the season but his stats are aided by the supporting cast .. a natural finisher, he can pick the corners and has the ability to step up at the right moments, as evidenced by his five game-winners .. has good patience in scoring situations and finds ways to open up goalies .. boasts an accurate wristshot .. scores a lot of his goals down low despite having the requisite size of a power forward .. doesn't like having control of the puck long and will often dish the puck just as soon as it's on his stick .. has a tendency to float .. work ethic is a question mark .. he has decent vision and anticipation .. he moves to open areas and anticipates breakouts well .. doesn't exert as much effort defensively .. is a purely one-dimensional player .. will finish checks but doesn't have much jam .. there are considerable holes in his game, as he will be a project for a team with patience.