Sounding off on the Attack

The Owen Sound Attack made strides last season in a hard fought four game sweep at the hands of the Memorial Champion Windsor Spitfires in the opening round of the playoffs. They enter this season with optimism, however they have yet to play up to their ability, as they find themselves in the basement of the Western Conference. Led by top-10 OHL scorer Joey Hishon, the Attack will be forced to lean on him heavily due to their lack of offensive depth. However the biggest problem lies with the backend, as the Attack simply have no weapons from which to draw from. Coach Reeds will need to get the most of his players for the Attack to have any chance of improving upon last season's total.

McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn has notes on the Owen Sound Attack and looks at several key prospects including 2010 draft-eligible Joey Hishon, Steven Shipley, Myles Doan and Geoffrey Schemitsch, as well as 2011-eligible Curtis Crombeen.

Joey Hishon (2010), C, Owen Sound

Hishon put up a spectacular season last year finishing with 81 points in 65 games and earned a roster spot on the Under 18 team .. Hishon is hoping he can carry his team far into the playoffs this season, however he is trying to do too much .. a slick and superior-skilled undersized centre .. he has a way of slithering into the holes and is dangerous with his in-tight stickhandling ability and penchant for finding the open man down low or in front .. he does use his size to charge the net and is always prepared with his stick to receive a pass .. sadly, he has no linemates to play with and as a result he tries to do too much .. constantly attacking the boards down low only for him to be double covered, which leaves him frustrated .. he is trying to play through the abuse but the lack of positioning of his linemates does not help his cause .. skating has improved, he is shifty so he appears to be going faster .. he appears to be moving much faster due to his sheer ability to always get open .. his straight-ahead speed is average and he is able to gain position and space due to his puck protection skills .. Hishon will be faced with the ultimate test this season to shake off the naysayers who critize his lack of size .. he will once again be the offensive leader for the Attack but NHL scouts will have to examine his game and see if he will ever be better than a good junior player .. plays a game similar to Ed Olczyk - minus the size.

Steven Shipley (2010), C, Owen Sound

The last cut at the U18 Hlinka tournament, Shipley enters this season with heightened expectations, as he will assume a bulk of the offensive responsibility .. already lining up alongside top players such as Hishon on the first PP, Shipley has responded averaging close to a point a game in eight contests .. there is a lack of synergy with the Attack, as coach Reeds has been experimenting with the lines, however Shipley has assimilated nicely, as his versatility and strong two-way game make him an attractive prospect .. has good size (6-2, 205), and is built similar to Ron Francis .. he makes good use of his size (even though he is not physical), but he does battle down low and uses his size to win position along the glass .. his reach is also used advantageously .. he can shelter the puck and has the presence to make a play as his head is always up surveying the ice .. silky demeanour, his skating does not give off the appearance of going too fast, yet he wins loose puck battles and is always in the midst of creating a play or being around the puck .. Shipley still lacks functional strength, as he needs to build his upper body but this should come in time .. his on-ice awareness and playmaking skills coupled with playing with better players this season should make him a highly sought after NHL prospect.

Myles Doan (2010), C, Owen Sound

Doan has not been used in a scoring role by coach Reeds and therefore will never put up big numbers until he is allotted some valuable PP minutes .. nonetheless, his contributions are made without the puck as he is a capable skater with tremendous first-step acceleration .. his skating and game-reading skills without the puck is what establishes him as an OHL regular .. cutting down shooting and passing lanes, he clogs up the neutral zone with stout positioning and an active stick .. still seems a tad unsure of his ability with the puck in the offensive zone, as he tends to hurry his plays .. his hands are ok and he can execute down low but his chances are few and far between .. Doan is a character player who understands his role and plays well within it.

Geoffrey Schemitsch (2010), D, Owen Sound

Limited exposure in his OHL draft year due a broken arm that cost him over four months of action .. a product of the Mississauga Chargers Midget program, he earned a roster spot as a walk-on having gone undrafted .. not known for his offensive acumen, Schemitsch has found the scoreboard early with some regularity .. pushing up the puck and making a decent outlet pass is something that he is capable of, but his puck skills are not elite .. rangy disposition allows him to defend .. utilizes his size and reach in down-low areas of the ice .. his defensive contributions are subtle .. he does need some refinement in his gap control and did struggle against some of the quicker Knights, forwards, in particular Kadri .. not shy about administering a bodycheck .. considering where he has come and the impact he has made thus far, he is certainly playing his way into the notebooks of many NHL scouts.

Curtis Crombeen (2011), D, Owen Sound

The first round selection has not looked out of place in the OHL .. considering the lack of quality defenders in the Owen Sound system, Crombeen is in a perfect situation to play and develop .. Crombeen is an extremely effective defender who makes things look effortless and easy .. a good skater who could still upgrade his first step and establish a separation gear .. Crombeen is adept at reading the rush and understands his position in conjunction with a developing play .. his smarts and anticipation help him .. he is positionally sound against the boards and often retrieves the puck, which is all that much more impressive considering the players he is competing against are 4 years older and more physically developed .. he exhibited the same traits while playing as an underage player last year for the Sarnia Jr. B club and has continued that through the OHL .. at this point, he would rather pass than shoot, as his confidence to make a play with the puck is simply not there .. he is smart enough to understand that if there is no play with the puck that he (cross the redline) should simply dump it in but does so when his teammates are in on the chase .. Crombeen ties up his man in front but he is not a bruiser nor will he ever be .. his quiet and modest demeanour off the ice reflects the type of defensive game he elects to play - one of finesse rather than strength .. Crombeen is a player that coach Reeds has already relied heavily on and he has earned his ice playing a mature, low risk game.