Team Ontario U-17 Forwards

McKeen's Hockey takes a look at over 20 forwards who recently participated in the Under 17 Evaluation camps held earlier this month.

Greg Nemisz – Windsor

Simply put he looked lethal every time he had the puck... he made others around him better .. He has such great reach that he was able to get by defenders with ease with slick play making ability .. Turned several defenders inside/out .. If defenders played the body, he literally rolled off them and found his spot on the ice .. He came back to help out with his defensive duties but still lacked the proper positioning, but commitment was there .. If there was any knock on his play it would be along the boards, he seemed to be tentative after receiving a few hits, almost backed away from the play .. Scored and set up some pretty goals and certainly showed that he is one of the elite players in his age group.

Mike Mascioli – Kitchener

Strong and stocky, he provided his team with a level of grit and aggression .. Showed willingness to compete in the corners and take a check to advance the puck .. Intense player, he took some costly penalties, in albeit a penalty riddled game but he still needs to show more discipline and composure in his game .. A roster spot is not guaranteed but Coach Marty Williamson may mould his style of game into a role that may be beneficial for the team success.

Adam Henrique – Windsor

Was partnered up with Nemisz and they played very well together .. He lacks the consistent effort from shift to shift that is needed for a player of his calibre .. Has soft hands in close and can bury his chances .. He had an average camp but is capable of playing much better.

Michael Lomas – Brampton

A sparkplug of a player with a generous skill set .. He can shoot, make plays and hit .. He is good at many things but not great at one .. His best feature to his game is his skating, he is able to fly around the ice and is hard to play against because of his aggressive fore check .. He played well and competed in all three of the scrimmage games.

Stefan Della Rovere – Barrie

A role player who plays an honest, clean game .. While his offensive skills have, yet to mature he is capable of making decent plays with the puck .. He played within his limits, making quick passes and not holding onto the puck too long .. He worked the corners, often looking to centre it out for a finisher .. He displayed strong balance and won many battles along the boards .. Is most likely seen as a fourth line player should he make the team.

Sean Jones – Sault Ste. Marie

Seemed overwhelmed at times and rushed for the offence too much .. His speed helped him to create some chances but he was very unsuccessful in burying them .. His small size, 5'8 made him very easy to knock off the puck as he lacked the puck protection skills necessary when he crossed the line .. Had good chemistry with his line mates but did not overly impress at camp .. A long shot to make the team.

Dean Howard – Oshawa

Played a very smart game .. Scored a nice goal, looked like he could be slotted on any line, and succeed .. Helped out with his defensive duties .. Positioning is sound especially in the offensive zone .. Has deceiving speed as he made several nice give and go passes and then beat his defender to the net .. A solid player who is very versatile he should be able to make the team.

Thomas Nesbitt – Ottawa

His hands are velvet soft and he has the innate ability to make defenders look silly .. He has good finish too as he scored a beautiful break away goal going top corner .. Is aggressive and will fight for loose pucks .. Plays an all around solid game and will look to make an impact should he make the team.

Nazem Kadri – Kitchener

Is a crafty, ultra skilled player .. his hands are super quick, he can beat you with a well placed shot, a perfect pass or a quick deke to the inside, he is highly offensive minded and displayed his skill in all three games .. His skating is slick and smooth and he rarely gets knocked off stride .. He makes plays that teammates are not expecting .. Should be able to crack the line up and play on one of the top two lines.

Steven Stamkos – Sarnia

Was very productive and put on a fabulous display of offensive wizardry .. he showed great patience with the puck as he often goaded defenders out of position and followed it up with a perfect pass .. Equally adept at scoring goals as he potted many over the three games .. Deadly on one-on-one situations or when he crossed the line with speed as defenders had to constantly back up .. Quick transition game .. Came back and supported defenseman .. A solid evaluation camp will most certainly garner a roster spot and may captain Under 17 team.

Anthony Nigro – Guelph

Looked tentative at times to make plays .. Has all the tools but sometimes fails to realize his potential .. He played adequately but looked sluggish and slow at times .. Needs to release his shots quicker .. Did not produce at a level that he is capable off, will need to pick up his game and show coaching staff that he deserves to be on the team.

Jared Staal – Sudbury

Not the quickest of skaters as he really has no extra gear to separate him from the pack .. Had many chances but was not able to create additional room for himself due to lack of speed .. He does have good hands in close and scored a few times .. His breakaway goals proved that he had some moves in his arsenal .. Constantly looked to pass the puck off as opposed to making a play to the net himself .. Hockey sense is a plus but balance, strength and speed are glaring concerns.

Josh Brittian – Kingston

For a player of his size it is surprising that he got knocked off the puck as much as he did .. Needs to bulk up huge and play with more urgency .. Needs to lean on guys and force them to turn over the puck .. He can stick handle and is able to weave in and out of traffic .. His shot power is ok but he did not shoot too much .. Size is an asset but his game may not yet be there yet as he will take a few years to develop.

Matthew Tipoff - Belleville

A smart and scrappy player .. His game excelled down low where he was able to protect the puck and find the open man .. A good playmaker as he has good puck distribution skills .. He lacks true finish .. Played with tenacity and did not back down from physical confrontations .. Started off a tad slow by his standards but was able to string a good performance in his final game and leave a healthy impression.

Dylan O'Neil – Toronto

A speedy little player who does everything in high gear .. Really flies into the offensive zone with puck on a string as he managed to make it to the net on a few individual rushes .. Good finisher and a strong passer .. He is a bit on the small side and got knocked around a bit but he did not let that deter him .. He has the skills to make the team and should either make the squad or be a last minute omission.

Cody Hodgson – Brampton

Put together a fine performance as he handled the puck beautifully, constantly weaving in and around defenders for a perfect scoring chance in the slot .. Failed to convert on his chances but the ease in which he was able to make his moves was most impressive .. Showed at times a tad of selfishness as he did shoot very often, neglecting the open man .. He should be a candidate for first or second line duty and be able to produce the bulk of the offence when he makes the team.

James Livingston – Sault Ste.Marie

Started off very slow and struggled to find his game .. Got better as the evaluation camps went on .. Administered some bone crunching hits as he used his massive frame to his advantage .. Meshed well with Trivino on his line as they had good chemistry .. Still needs to focus and play his game and not lose control .. When he plays like he can he is very gifted making sensational no look passes and working hard to get into good positions to score .. His development over the next few months will be instrumental to making the team.

Matt Ribeiro – Ottawa

Simply put he is a finisher in every sense of the word .. He can do it by himself as he managed to do countless times or he positions himself to unload his wicked one timer .. He has great wheels and a modest frame .. Did not voluntarily go in the corners, he often hanged back in the slot and waited for the puck to come to him .. Goal scoring ability like his you simply cannot teach and it may be hard to ignore that and not offer him a roster spot.

Corey Trivino – Brampton

A fast, incredibly elusive player .. He can score and pass ..His tall frame makes it easy for him to stick handle so effortlessly in the offensive zone .. He possesses tremendous offensive ability but really needs to assert himself more when games get more physical and demanding .. Consistency was an issue but shuffling of line mates seemed to rejuvenate his game and he became more productive .. Defensively he still needs to elevate his game .. Team Ontario will not be able to deny his talent and a roster spot looks inevitable.

Kyle Tarini – Sudbury

A hard nosed, gritty do anything for the team player .. He displayed a good work ethic and finished all his checks .. he is not as gifted a player offensively as his peers but what he is good at doing is shutting them down and that may be enough for him to see him represent his province in a fourth line spot duty role.