Toronto Rookie Tournament Part 1

The Toronto Maple Leafs recently hosted their annual Rookie Tournament, which took place at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario this year. Other participants along with the Maple Leafs included the Ottawa Senators, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Chicago Blackhawks. In part one of his report, McKeen's correspondent Gus Katsaros has notes on several rookies from the Blackhawks including Kyle Beach, the 11th overall pick in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Kyle Beach (Chi), RW

Appeared in Blackhawks opener versus the Leafs, and scratched versus Ottawa .. began contest with little energy, looking sluggish and disinterested .. seemed non-committal in utilizing speed and aggression - not paying the physical price on more than a few occasions, but could be a natural trait in this tournament shortly before training camp .. showed good anticipation, skilled hands and a quick release that made him an 11th overall pick in 2008 after scoring 52 goals in 68 games with Spokane .. misses a burst on start up, but generated good speed once he shifted into high gear .. demonstrated a hard slapshot shortly before getting a 10-minute misconduct toward the end of the second period for yapping to the official and putting an end to an anti-climatic outing.

Chris Didomenico (Chi), RW

Former Maple Leafs prospect dealt to the Hawks in the off season had recovered from a broken femur that limited him to a dozen regular season games and 14 more in the postseason .. started slow, seemingly skating through mud and maintained an outside trajectory resorting to a perimeter game .. wouldn't pay the price to get pucks from corners and generally not as involved physically along the boards .. initially maintained a perimeter game, firing long range slap shots instead of driving inside, becoming predictable and easy to defend .. preferred setting up from the long range, which worked on a goal from a streaking David Gilbert down the middle .. it's understandable to withdraw a little from the intensity and physical nature, however he didn't make himself an outlet most of the time.

Jeremy Morin (Chi), RW

Another import, the former Thrashers 2nd round pick (45th overall in 2009), was the equivalent of a machine gun among pistols, firing from everywhere in the offensive zone .. feisty, with a healthy physical game for his moderate size .. he initiated a lot of contact, an asset as he fills out a little .. separates the puck and his man in board battles before firing on goal .. could be a little erratic at times and doesn't consider other options .. shooting skills weren't only on display, as he backchecked and maintained good work ethic to support on defense .. used in penalty killing situations, while playing both the wing and centre.

Nick Leddy (Chi), D

Undersized, mobile blueliner executed precision passes through the neutral zone and kicked off from the Blackhawks zone for the most part .. made a lot of risky attempts at passes across the blueline or trying to get it through players legs and causing turnovers .. doesn't shy away from checking, just not on instinct .. passes could be crisper at times .. closed the gap quick on a streaking player down the wing .. takes space away by quick confrontations and getting in the way more than initiating contact and using an active stick to limit passes .. good mix of skills on display, they just need fine tuning and some AHL time will help him in that regard.

Brandon Pirri (Chi), C

Former RPI standout operated at extremes through the two weekend games .. on the one side, he exhibited a heads-up approach to distribution, making crisp passes .. on the other, he could put his head down and move the puck up ice, maintaining an outside stance and lacking the dynamics and size to drive to the inside .. hands seemed rigid while he juked and faked his way through the offensive zone, pushing the puck more than stickhandling his way through traffic .. good quick release with a short wind up, especially in close .. played all three forward positions and killed penalties .. showed instinct to cycle and move into position for quick shots .. work ethic was top notch, as he was barely caught out of position .. seemed to take an inordinate amount of physical punishment if he over handled the puck early .. really focused on his distribution game.

Ludvig Rensfeldt (Chi), LW

Swedish Elite League Brynas-standout was spotted more than getting a regular shift in the first game while getting increased responsibilities in the second game .. Swede has an underdeveloped skating stride, more of a wide track skater that hops on start up and propels himself on the ice with short choppy strides .. is consistently around the puck and battling along the boards and in open ice .. defensively responsible and works diligently to backcheck and help out in the defensive zone .. seemed to play a little low in defensive-zone coverage .. second round pick in 2010 (35th overall), he uses his big body to protect the puck well and will only get stronger once he fills in (listed at 6-foot-3, 193 pounds) .. always moving his feet and was rarely stationary .. good edge work at slower speed, yet needs some explosiveness in his first two-steps .. misses top-end speed .. rushed the puck very rarely but when he did, it was on the outside with a heads-up approach, almost looking for the pass .. great vision, but it's a little predictable .. should have used his shot more, but he didn't always get the puck in the positions to capitalize .. there's a development curve, but it's enticing.