The Ottawa Senators’ Annual Rookie Tournament

You can tell a rookie camp is a tad low on talent when the participating teams decide to play the trap.

That is exactly what has happened in the past few days at the Corel Centre, where youngsters representing three NHL clubs (Carolina Hurricanes, Montreal Canadiens and Ottawa Senators) took the ice.

Although the event is meant to showcase some of the teams’ top prospects, only a share made their way to Kanata – those with at least one full year’s experience in minor pro were not in the picture, same for selected European players who stayed behind in their home countries, which left plenty of room for invited free agents to strut their stuff.

On the downside, the quality of hockey has suffered – the Hurricanes alone have 11 free agents invitees out of the 24 players on their rookie roster. Not exactly the top prospects game, although several intriguing names participated – including one of Russia’s World Junior heroes Alexander Perezhogin, big German rearguard Christoph Schubert and last year’s second overall draft selection – Eric Staal.

Clearly the best players on the ice thus far have been Staal and Chris Higgins – both playing refreshingly creative styles among an otherwise rusty group of participants. Here are reports for 17 high-profile youngsters at the tourney.

Aaron Dawson .. The prototypical non-flashy stay-at-home rearguard .. Swift, mobile defender with adept passing skills, as he is usually tape-to-tape with his passes .. Plays a sound positional game and is willing to take the body, but is, by no means, menacing .. Smart and knows his role well .. Lateral movement needs work, especially his first step … Nothing to get excited about, but Dawson could develop into a perfect depth guy some day.

Scott Dobben .. Smooth skater whose offensive skills are otherwise limited .. Has a crisp, accurate wristshot and good first-step quickness .. A well-trained backchecker and one-on-one player … Lacks creativity and vision to make major strides in the offensive end.

Brad Fast .. Explosive skater and an offensively-conscious blueliner has a shown a bit of a stay-at-home flavour .. Willing to stay back and plays it safe, much more mature and well-positioned than in the past .. Passing skills are on-the-money, while creativity is pro-quality .. Eager to join the rush and likes to show off his hard point shot … There is no room on Carolina’s blueline for him, so he’ll develop further.

Chris Higgins .. First thing you notice are the great wheels, as he can really turn it on at full speed .. A well-balanced skater .. A dazzling stickhandler who attacks the puck aggressively with superb inside-out moves .. Excellent one-on-one skills and his creativity has improved .. A smart decision-maker who is a take-charge player, a leader on the ice .. Very strong for his size and tough to knock off the puck .. Defensive-zone play needs more work, he still gets behind the play every now and then .. When determined, he’s like a bull both on the backcheck and forecheck … A pure scorer, but he could look good on a checking line this season for the Canadiens, provided he has a good camp.

Brooks Laich .. An underrated offensive player, but did not show much offensive upside .. Wreaks havoc on goalies by hanging around the crease .. Good straight-away speed and a smooth stride .. Has soft hands, good determination on the backcheck and plenty of moxie .. Take-charge type could be a future captain and is willing to do the dirty work, but may have overachieved offensively last year … He won’t be much of a scorer at the pro level, but he’s a valuable blue-collar player.

Jesse Lane .. Imaginative, take-charge blueliner with slick puck skills and excellent speed .. A wild one with his passes at times, though becoming more consistently accurate .. Has a hard point shot and an explosive release .. Loves to shoot the puck and is eager to join the rush .. Willing to play in traffic .. Not always tough enough on opposing forwards and although he has made strides he still gives them too much space .. All in all, defensive coverage has improved and he has shown the willingness to utilize his frame to neutralize opposing attackers … Needs to prove his defensive advancement is not an abberation.

Maxim Lapierre .. Slippery-quick, an opportunist who every now and then guesses wrong .. Not physical, but waits for his chances and will take off at full speed when the puck is on his stick .. Soft hands and a quick reach, gets to a lot of loose pucks .. Backchecks well and aggressively, but sometimes gets a little too close to the forechecker and loses the battle .. Needs to prove he can be an elite finisher and shoot the puck more .. Look for his QMJHL scoring totals to skyrocket this season.

Corey Locke .. Virtually every scout is down on his skating at the moment – while not slow, Locke’s mobility simply does not measure up to the other facets of his game .. Bigger guys with any kind of mobility haunt him as Locke does not appear to be quick enough to escape the bear hug of the opposing defenseman a lot of the times .. Does not look at all improved from last season, in fact he’s playing with less determination .. A chippy player makes slick instinctive feeds and is a difference maker even when he is in a scoring drought .. Needs room to operate, has not been given much space at all and has looked like a lost deer at times .. Has a very underrated slapshot that is crisp and accurate .. Still exemplary vision and improving on his faceoffs … He’s lucky to have Matt Foy back as his linemate in Ottawa.

Duncan Milroy .. Known as a checking type with an offensive dimension, but showed neither quality at the camp .. Looks invisible and at times downright soft .. A persistent forechecker when motivated, but looked passive .. A graceful skater has few true technical weaknesses, but does not excel at many facets either … We would have added more, but he was so utterly invisible he should have overtaken Kevin Bacon for the lead role in “Hollow Man”.

Kevin Nastiuk .. Lanky goalie is poised and quick .. Mixes stand-up and butterfly styles and is lightning-fast on and off his feet .. Cuts down the angles very well and is adept at covering the lower part of the net .. Very flexible and will occasionally do the full splits when a commotion around the crease ensues .. Has to work on his rebound control as certain pucks tend to ricochet off him unfavourably .. High shots give him trouble at times … Forget his ugly numbers from last year, Nastiuk will be one of WHL’s finest netminders this season.

Alexander Perezhogin .. swift-skating winger is creative and plays at all times in motion .. Still adjusting to the bigger ice surface, thus has been understandably rusty .. Strong player is effective on the forecheck, handles big men well and strong on his skates .. One of the better prospects at moving the puck along the boards .. Crisp set-up skills, superb hand-eye coordination, but no real mean streak to his game .. Defensively, he needs more polish and urgency, but can be a tough cookie when in a groove .. Determined and does not get intimidated … Clearly he’s saving up for the Canadiens camp, but he will have his work cut out for him there as he needs to prove he’s physically strong enough

Jan Platil .. Nasty, mean blueliner is a smooth, agile skater who is quick to catch up to loose pucks and is exemplary at clearing the zone .. Plays with an edge, legally and illegally .. Makes sound outlet passes, while offensive instincts are above-average .. Positioning still requires work although his quickness makeup up for the occasional gaffe .. Has a hard, low shot from the point … Many NHL teams would give him a chance to play this season, but he won’t get that chance in Ottawa… yet.

Christoph Schubert .. Started out rusty, but showed flashes of all-around brilliance .. A balanced skater has made strides in his lateral mobility and plays a well-positioned defensive game .. Makes accurate outlet passes and quick, instinctive feeds .. Gets to loose pucks consistently and possesses a hard, low shot from the point .. Tends to overhandle the puck at times, needs to simplify his game a bit .. The budding QB reacts quickly to the location of the puck, while his reach is excellent .. Not very physical, but a strong, bulky type nonetheless … Another year of minor-pro seasoning appears essential.

Eric Staal .. Strong, composed, patient and creative centerman with excellent vision and anticipation skills .. Simply smarter and quicker than any other player at the event, although he is not yet in his offensive groove .. Very strong on faceoffs and does the little things well, like steals, tips, short feeds .. Quick hands, able to dig the puck from under sticks, skates faster than most NHL’ers .. Terrific inside-out moves and creativity .. Makes plays look effortless as if he’s not even trying .. His puck skills and smarts resemble that of a young Ron Francis … There is no reason to doubt that he can make the ‘Canes roster following the rookie camp, but he won’t make a considerable impact yet.

Cory Urquhart .. Elusive skater has a long swift stride and good balance .. Proficient stickhandler waits for an opportunity and can deliver when the puck is on his stick .. Creative with good vision and anticipation skills .. Determined on the backcheck .. Solid penalty-killing forward, well-positioned and knows where the puck is going .. Needs to get stronger on the puck and add a mean streak … His acceleration has improved so expect a big year in the Q.

Greg Watson .. Checker’s stock is falling .. No longer showing his punishing physical side he so willingly employed two years ago .. Despite his excellent wheels, has been snakebitten in the offensive end as his finishing skills have been deteriorating .. Needs to go to the net with increased aggressiveness and utilize his shooting arsenal to a greater degree .. Too passive offensively, but knows his way around defensively and in traffic areas … Needs to gain back his confidence and if he does, he could still develop into a decent mucking type.

Cam Ward .. Cool-headed, composed goalie plays a butterfly style to a tee .. His cat-like reflexes are in some ways alike to those of Felix Potvin due to his graceful lateral style .. Puckhandling abilities are improving as he is taking charge of playing the puck more .. Superb at covering the lower part of the net .. Cuts down the angles well and likes to come out of the crease to challenge the shooter … Will be back for another season with Red Deer in the WHL with two goals for the season – guiding the Rebels to a title and earning a spot with Canada’s World Junior squad.