U17 WHC: White Out

Team Western, made up of kids from Saskatchewan and Manitoba, defeated Team Pacific 3-1 to win the Gold Medal at the recent World Under-17 Hockey Challenge in chilly Lethbridge, Alberta. We take a look at many of the prospects including team captain and tournament leading scorer Jonathan Toews and linemate Ryan White.

Chad Erb (2006), D

Slender blueliner has room to add more muscle to his large frame .. played the one-on-one strongly and even took the player out of the play .. must work on his overall skating ability, especially his mobility and acceleration .. forced his point shot in to traffic and had it easily blocked .. jumped up and laid out a puckcarrier with a terrific bodycheck at the blueline .. defensively conscientious and is fairly dependable on the penalty-kill .. delivered an excellent headman pass .. is developing a nasty streak that will serve him well as he physically matures .. crushed a player along the wall .. U-17 totals (6-0-0-0-4).

Zachary Sim (2006), D

Developing blueliner .. closes the gap on the puckcarrier .. played on both special teams .. dished out a beautiful breakout pass .. very good top end speed .. has some zip to his wrist shot .. beautiful head man pass to gain the offensive zone .. showed his youth as he played the puck instead of the man one a one-on-one and the player went around him and scored .. U-17 totals (6-0-0-0-6).

Craig Schira (2006), D

Poised defender handles pressure well .. a fine stickhandler .. blessed with terrific acceleration, mobility and overall speed .. received a lazy obstruction penalty while trying to buy his defensive partner more time .. heavy wrist shot .. dishes out crisp breakout passes .. laser-like slap shot from the point gave the goaltender some problems .. will lead or join the rush when there is an opportunity .. very good overall speed .. plays on the penalty-kill and powerplay .. terrific recovery taking away a breakaway after getting caught up the ice .. dished a crisp breakout pass .. will pinch in from the point if he anticipates a scoring chance .. very effective at using a change of pace to slip by his checks .. knocked an opponent off their feet with a solid bodycheck .. heavy wrist shot, not always on target .. U-17 totals (6-0-2-2-2).

Jonathan Toews (2006), C

Heady center from Shattuck St. Mary's is the gamebreaker for Team West .. wears the C .. very mobile as he can turn on a dime .. blessed with elite vision and hockey sense .. supports the puckcarrier well .. strong on his skates .. defensively aware .. makes an effortless transition from defense to offense and back again .. picked up his man effectively and nullified any scoring chance near the crease .. stickhandles in a phone booth .. uses his linemates and nails them with crisp, tape-to-tape passes .. will fearlessly drive to the net .. protected the puck so well on a breakaway that the defender was forced to drag him down and take a penalty .. closes the gaps and cuts down time on the puckcarrier .. has eyes in the back of his head as he regularly made no-look, behind the back passes right to a teammate .. very strong on the faceoff .. skates with poise .. picked up the rebound and knocked it home for a big goal .. knows how to find the holes .. picked the short side to give his team a late lead .. makes players around him better .. stickhandled through traffic and cut across the net, backhanding a shot past the goaltender for one of the prettiest goals of the tournament .. U-17 totals (6-8-4-12-2).

Logan Pyett (2006),

Offensively skilled quarterbacking defenseman was a mainstay on the powerplay .. terrific overall skating ability .. delivered a devastating open ice hit that sent the pro-West crowd in to a tizzy .. wears an A .. knows how to elude a hit .. very poised puck rusher .. displays maturity by first worrying about getting the point shot through then trying to blast it .. although is relatively strong for his size, he will likely need to add some muscle to his frame to enjoy the same success at the next level .. moves the puck crisply and on the tape .. pinched in from the point and fired home a slap shot .. U-17 totals (6-2-4-6-8).

Dwight King (2007), LW

Work in progress .. hits with authority .. supports the puckcarrier .. had a glorious chance in the crease, but failed to corral a pass .. decent overall skater, although his acceleration and mobility is mediocre at best .. stickhandling needs improvement .. heavy slap shot .. lacks urgency to his game and must improve his intensity especially without the puck .. U-17 totals (6-0-0-0-0).

Ian Duval (2006), C

High energy spark plug .. took the puck from behind the net and shot it in to the goalie's crest .. strong on the draw .. delivered a solid hit along the boards .. received a two and a 10 for a hit from behind .. terrific overall speed and acceleration .. was more than willing to initiate body contact on the forecheck .. due mostly to horrendous defensive coverage, Duval was able to skate untouched through traffic and tuck home a shot .. U-17 totals (6-3-2-5-2).

Kyle Bortis (2006), LW

Slick passer played on the big line with Jonathan Toews and Ryan White .. made a nice pass to the open player in the slot .. has nice mobility and uses this ability well along the wall and in traffic .. goes to the front of the net .. once again used excellent vision to find the open man in the slot with a crisp pass .. displays good puck pursuit .. U-17 totals (6-5-6-11-0).

Ryan White (2006), C

Mature beyond his years .. used elite vision on the powerplay .. really gets after the puckcarrier .. has a howitzer for a shot .. wears an A .. splendid playmaker and makes his linemates better .. fought off a defender with one hand, drove to the net and passed it over to the open linemate for a tap in goal .. delivered a beautiful open ice hit .. made a number of dekes and then passed it to the man in the slot who was able to drill it home .. got open in the slot and blasted a shot just wide .. played the point on the powerplay .. heavy slap shot .. U-17 totals (6-2-9-11-6).

Ryan McDonald (2006), C

got to the net for the pass and was able to bang it home for a big goal .. needs to work harder picking up the opposition center after the faceoff .. excellent closing speed on the puckcarrier .. displayed strength on the puck as he fought off a checker and was still able to get a shot away .. worked hard on the back check .. was an effective penalty-killer .. U-17 totals (6-0-0-0-12).

Ryan Nieszner (2006), G

Smallish, positionally sound goaltender .. hesitated on deciding to play a puck that he should have come out for and it nearly cost his team .. swallowed up the rebounds .. stayed square to the shooter as he came across the crease .. moved side-to-side and stoned a player on an odd man rush after also making the first save .. gave up a goal high on the short side .. communicates clearly with his defensemen .. was once again beaten top corner as the player drove through the slot .. failed to hug the post and allowed the rebound to slip through .. U-17 totals (6-5-1-0).