Team Ontario Under 17 Defense Goalies

Who says you do not play hockey in the summer? The Under 17 evaluation camps were held earlier this week and for 84 of Ontario's finest hockey players born in the year of 1990 it was an opportunity to impress the coaching staff for a place on the final 22-player roster and represent Canada at the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse, Yukon later next year. This is seen as an integral part of Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence as it has launched the careers of many players who go onto play in the Under 18's, World Juniors and eventually Team Canada for international competition. Eric Staal, Jason Spezza and Rick Nash are all recent Ontario Under 17 alumni.

McKeen's was on hand for the three-day identification camp and files notes on players who had strong camps and a chance to successfully make the club. Listed beside players name is OHL team who drafted him.

GOALIES

Jason Missiaen - Peterborough

A tall stand up goalie that is literally impossible to beat down low.. his legs are very long and while he may not be overly quick, his 6'5 frame does most of the work for him .. he moves swiftly from post to post .. butterfly style, he really extends himself to cover the top portion of the net .. decent stick handler but his size makes it awkward at times for him to play the puck .. had a good camp, as he looked poised and comfortable in the crease in two of his starts.

Peter DiSalvo – Sarnia

Cool and calm in the crease .. his demeanour makes others especially his defenseman more comfortable as he has a tremendous skill set .. not flashy but simply put does not get scored on .. remained composure when he was peppered with shots .. a solid goalie with no real technical flaws .. experienced shooters is all that is holding him back from becoming better .. showed coaching staff with his performance that he has a legitimate chance of making the team.

Anthony Peters – Oshawa

Butterfly style suits his game as he is always in position to make timely saves .. had a stellar defence in front of him but made saves when he was called upon .. surrendered a few goals but remained positive and didn't let it faze him .. strong concentration level and impressive skill set should make him a final selection in goal for the team ..

Defense

Tyler Cuma – Ottawa

Slick skater who can and will push for offence .. made many great plays to gain the line and stick handled effortlessly through the opposition .. he laid out many guys with his physical play and his strength and conditioning tests were very impressive .. shows a mean spirit and always competes making forwards really work for their ice when playing him one-on-one .. strong camp as he was able to provide team with reliable two-way play ..

Shawn Lalonde – Belleville

Is tall and nasty and when he manages to put some weight on he will be very hard to play against .. his play at camp was good as he really showcased his offensive capabilities .. granted he makes the team he should be on the top PP unit as his play with the puck especially his composure at the line and in the offensive zone stand out considerably .. his decision making in the defensive zone is not a liability but he still needs to rethink his game from time to time.

Nick Crawford – Saginaw

A smart player who was able to manoeuvre himself into good position on the ice .. showed quick recovery and his strong skating enabled him to get back into the play effortlessly.. did not shine particularly but played to a level, which should be good enough to see him make the cut.

Matthew Maione – Mississauga

Small defender played fairly well considering his stature .. was able to make plays with the puck and one could see that he was giving everything he had .. strength and size are clearly issues but there is no denying his hockey smarts and ability to recognize a play.

Alex Pietrangelo – Mississauga

A stud on the back end .. he plays such a strong game that you often do not notice him and then he scores a highlight reel goal or makes a solid defensive play .. his play at camp was good enough for him to make a positive impression on the team evaluators .. scored a nice goal on an individual rush .. gapping and skating skills are superior to his peers as he was impossible to beat coming down the wing.

Mark Cundari – Windsor

Made it a point to hit everything in his path and play a mean/aggressive game .. was able to release his shot rapidly at the point .. he has good speed on the straightaway and often gets involved in the offence .. his play was solid and he was certainly one of the better defenders at camp and will make the cut.

T.J. Brodie – Saginaw

Has good vision as he made many nice passes, which resulted in quality scoring chances .. needs to get more strength along the boards as he was often pushed off the puck by more physical players .. he combines good speed with outstanding hockey sense and that should warrant further review by team evaluators ..

Brandon Burlon – Owen Sound

He had an ok camp but nothing spectacular .. was guilty of a few cough ups and his play with the puck was sub-par .. he is very raw and needs to gain more confidence .. he is a long shot to make the team but his skill set is impressive .. if he is able to muster a strong first half in the OHL there may be a spot waiting for him.

Michael D'Orazio – Owen Sound

Played the scrimmages very cautiously and safe .. played well within his limits and did not get beaten by his man by trying to make a fancy play .. sound decisions in the defensive zone as he played assertive and cleared the zone when needed .. offensively he contributed with his booming shot and effective release .. his well-rounded play scored him high marks in many categories.

Marc Cantin – Belleville

Although very small he showed great determination and played very well in the opening games .. he has a calm approach to the game as he focuses on his defensive duties first and foremost .. has good footwork and was not goaded into fancy moves on one-on-one situations.

Tim Billingsley – Toronto

Was used as a forward briefly in opening game but immediately dropped back to defence .. he plays like a forward as he was constantly caught deep trying to generate offence .. he did mange to stay committed to his defensive responsibilities as he always made an effort to come back .. his strong skating and overall play make him a strong candidate for the team.

Mitch Gaulton – Erie

Was not very noticeable and had a rather quiet camp .. he moved the puck up the ice but rarely unleashed his shot .. tried to make the simple plays and get the puck out of the zone and launch an attack with a timely first pass .. his ability to take the puck on his backhand and move in to his fore hand in traffic is paramount to his game and he is one of the best in his age group in this regard .. showed no signs of being pressured into making a bad play .. his average performance should not really effect his position on the team, as most are well aware of what he is capable of doing.

Dalton Prout – Sarnia

Is just a monster of a defender .. he instilled fear in forwards who thought of getting anywhere near the net .. he has size and good puck handling skills, as he was able to move the puck out of the zone after retrieving many rebounds .. he made several smart plays in the offensive zone and got himself open often .. still needs to perfect his shot and timing on his one timer but he displays a healthy game and will get serious consideration for this squad.

Brian Shaw – Erie

He is still quite raw but his size and his skating are his best assets .. at times he was guilty of doing too much but learned to simplify his game and made quick adjustments shift to shift showing his smarts and ability to adapt .. still rather lanky he has a chance to put on some much needed weight in the next few months .. an outside chance of making the team as his play in the first half may be the deciding factor.

Tom Kane – Plymouth

He hits like a Mack truck .. made several key hits that did not go unnoticed .. is mean and very physical but not dirty .. his puck handling skills and offensive game has not really matured .. he thrives in the defensive zone where he keeps his game simple and eliminates his man.

Brent Sullivan – Sarnia

Tall and slender defender has a good all around game .. he is fearless in rushing the play and often made many successful rushes up ice .. a good skater who still needs to fill into his body .. showed that he can certainly compete amongst the elite group of 1990's however with strong performances from other defenders his chances of making the team are remote.

Michael DelZotto – Oshawa

He did not participate at the camp as he has suffered a bout with mono but is almost assured a spot on the final roster.