Spirit May Rise

The revamped Saginaw Spirit is looking to make a splash in the Western Conference of the OHL this season. The addition of Brandon Saad gives the Spirit a first-line winger with goal scoring and point-producing potential. Vincent Trocheck is also looking to build on a successful rookie campaign where he notched 43 points playing in all 68 games last year. Mckeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn profiles these players along with second year defenseman Alex Lepkowski.

Brandon Saad (2011), RW, Saginaw

The leading scorer for the U18 US National Team last season looked tentative in his OHL debut .. he possesses all the attributes to be a dominant player, however he was a stride behind on most plays in their home opener against the Kitchener Rangers .. nonetheless, he is an accomplished skater, who is both fluid and quick .. he has a long stride and due to his size, he does not always look like he is moving fast, however he rarely loses a foot race .. at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, he has great size to shield the puck along the boards, and maintain pressure inside the zone .. upgrades will need to be made in his physical play and aggressiveness .. he does lean on guys to jar pucks free but he does not hurl his body as a means of intimidation .. aggressive on the PK, he uses his speed well and has a very active stick .. appeared stagnant on the PP as he did not move his feet off the half boards and watched plays more than he dictated them .. has a good shot but missed the net on three separate occasions from close range .. very strong on his stick, was able to execute passes when he was twisted off balance, and made plays on his backhand side .. has a good wingspan to complement his skating but needs to get more involved, as the OHL is a more physically demanding league .. has the raw skill and natural ability to be a top-10 selection.

Vincent Trocheck (2011), C, Saginaw

First-line centre returns after a productive Ivan Hlinka tournament in which he led his American team to a silver medal performance .. a tough, intelligent playmaker with sharp offensive instincts and tremendous strength on the puck .. his low centre of gravity and ability to skate with the puck in his feet makes him virtually impossible to pry off the puck or knock off stride .. he uses his edges incredibly well, and can make quick twists and turns in any direction .. possesses great balance on his skates, as he keeps his weight evenly across his skates .. he is not a speed demon but makes good use of his speed judiciously .. Trocheck is extremely effective in the neutral zone where he angles-off players so well that he often forces a turnover or controls the direction of the opposition's breakout .. he has a high compete level and even if he gets burned, he will make a desperate stab for the puck and get just enough of it to disrupt the play .. however, if the play gets by him he does not showcase the same type of enthusiasm when he has to skate back into his own zone .. good faceoff technique .. at times, he forces the issue in the offensive zone .. he routinely made the same inside move which was read easily and dissolved, yet he did not make adjustments - for example driving to the outside and forcing the defender to haul him down .. he will try and beat the same player twice in a sequence and needs to distribute the puck off quicker .. Trocheck has great game reading abilities that marry his offensive game and he will be a highly sought after prospect capable of first round status.

Alex Lepkowski (2011), D, Saginaw

A learning year for Lepkowski last season, as he saw limited action despite dressing in 53 games for the Spirit .. a sizeable defender who has a wide looping skating style that covers a fair bit of real estate once he gets moving .. an ok backwards skater but is sluggish off the mark .. he still lacks agility in his movements (especially laterally) largely in part to his still growing 6-foot-4, 210-pound frame .. plays a cautious game, as he rarely ventures into the offensive zone or even crosses the redline .. plays more of a support role for his defence partner, electing to hang back .. relies heavily on the defence to defence pass as his puck skills are very raw and he looks extremely uncomfortable making a play with it .. can smother guys along the boards but needs to get stronger on his skates, as he was pushed back by stronger players such as Landeskog down low .. he can also get turned inside out and lose his positioning and footwork .. Lepkowski needs to make enhancements in all facets of his game but has size and raw potential, which make him a prospect worth monitoring.