U17 World Hockey Challenge - Team Pacific

Team Pacific - 5th Place

Team Pacific started the tournament dropping a crucial game to Team Russia. They rebounded well and posted 10 goals against Team Atlantic, a tournament game high. In a must win game against Team USA, they were stymied by the hot goaltending of John Gibson, thus resulting in them failing to medal after last year's second place finish. McKeen's Director of Scouting David Burstyn offers notes on several prospects.

Forwards: A-

Team Pacific had a surplus of depth up front. They were able to separate Rattie and Nugent-Hopkins on two individual lines but put them together on the PP for a lethal combination. Role players such as McNeil and Lowry displayed a competitive edge which opened up the ice and created opportunities down low.

Defence: A

Their top two pairings all have pro potential. Siemens, Bell, Yuen and Scarlett all brought a different dimension to the backend. They logged ample minutes and limited the opposition to less than 30 shots in each contest.

Goaltending: B

Shaky in his first start (a 6-2 loss to Team Russia), Liam Liston rebounded nicely albeit in a loss to Team USA. Both goalies recorded a shutout each, Liston against Team Czech and Brossoit against Team Quebec. Neither goalie has WHL experience but are early draft selections and are honing their craft in the BCHL (Brossoit) and the AMHL (Liston).

Zac Yuen (2011), D, Tri-City

Yuen was a first round selection for the Americans after a productive Bantam season that saw him score 16 goals and 35 assists in his WHL draft year .. considered more of a depth defenseman at this point whose skating and hockey sense have helped him make the transition to major junior .. fluid skater who is silky smooth in all directions .. he does not have a separation gear but is very agile and can shake off forwards .. no panic point to his game and can execute a first pass crisply .. tends to get into trouble when he over handles the puck, as he seems overwhelmed with his options, skates into dead-ends and ends up losing the puck .. strength is a concern, as he simply cannot win battles down low and was exposed in the cycle at times .. nonetheless, Yuen brings enough of a game to be monitored further.

Duncan Siemens (2011), D, Saskatoon

Siemens and fellow Saskatoon and U17 teammate Dalton Thrower form the youngest defence tandem in the WHL for the Blades, the top team in the Eastern Conference .. a physical specimen, he was one of the biggest blueliners in the tournament .. great skater with an above average offensive skill set despite not registering a point in the tournament .. a skilled puckmover with a strong stick .. his confidence improved and he handled the puck on a more regular basis .. he makes cross ice passes with ease .. strong skater with great use of his edges and has good straight away speed .. plays in all situations and excels due to a natural aggression to keep forwards at length .. recovers well after administering a timely hit .. Siemens (a former third overall pick in 2008) oozes pro potential and is a combination of Phanuef and Regehr.

Myles Bell (2011), D, Regina

Bell had a strong tournament as he tied Hrbas (Team Slovakia) for most goals by a defenseman with four .. employed on the PP to use his laser beam of a shot that he unloaded at every opportunity .. a smart player who understands the game and is quick to read plays in transition .. has decent feet and is an ok skater .. does a good job of defending players off the rush and willingly sacrifices his body to defend .. can lose his man in front trying to chase down plays and needs to stay more inside his box .. partnered with Yuen allowed him to jump into the play and sneak in backdoor knowing that his defensive duties were taken care of .. a nice combination of skill and defensive acumen.

Reece Scarlett (2011), D, Swift Current

Scarlett made the tournament All-Star team .. the leading scoring defenseman on Team Pacific with 6-2-4-6 totals .. a former minor hockey teammate of Siemens, the duo were defence partners yet again during the tournament .. outstanding lateral movement and quickness .. he is tall but lanky and desperately needs to add some weight .. his offensive game is quite mature .. he reads plays well, passes the puck efficiently and is a good PP QB .. able to control the puck off the wall and immediately make a play .. does not panic at all with the puck and will hold onto it until the last possible moment before passing or shooting .. due to his sizeable frame it is hard to pokecheck him off the puck, as he simply turns his shoulder .. his lateral agility works well in offensive situations, as he can patrol the line .. always has his head up to make a play .. Scarlett embodies both elements of offensive prowess and a sturdy frame that is bound to fill out making him a complete prospect.

Mark McNeill (2011), C, Prince Albert

McNeil has enjoyed success this season as a member of the Raiders, seeing time on the third line .. relies on his speed but also has some sandpaper to his game .. he has quick feet and great speed coming down the wing .. at times, he does not always exercise his time and space well and can take himself out of scoring positions .. nonetheless, he does have good finish and does a good job of following up shots and plays .. his speed can create scoring opportunities as well, as he draws attention to himself and leaving others open .. needs to move his feet more in defensive situations .. does not always mark his man and can be careless without the puck .. although Prince Albert will not lose many to graduation, McNeil`s continued development might force GM Campese to trade some of his 18-year-old forwards to make additional room for him.

Nathan Burns (2011), C, Vancouver

A 7th round selection, Burns played a versatile game and saw icetime on both the third and second line throughout the tournament .. a smart player in terms of understanding where to be in the offensive zone .. does many little things well in the offensive zone that lead to team success .. quick chip plays and a firm understanding of positioning on the wall help him to maintain pressure in the zone .. he does an admirable job of defending, as he is sound positionally .. has the innate ability to play with a top unit or a fourth one and make the same contributions .. Burns still needs to grow but has a good set of tools.

Travis Ewanyk (2011), LW, Edmonton

Played on the first line with Smith and Rattie and was a sparkplug throwing his weight around and doing the dirty work to make the line work .. benefitted playing against players his own age group, as he has had a difficult time adjusting offensively in the WHL .. he has good speed and is a shifty skater .. because he throws his weight and goes to the net, it makes him unpredictable for defenders to read his play .. he eagerly comes back in defensive situations and plays a strong defensive game .. he hits guys with gusto and contains them along the boards for his defenders to come in and swoop the puck .. is an effective player who plays well with others.

Adam Lowry (2011), LW, Swift Current

When Lowry was drafted he stood 5-foot-9 and 135 pounds, but in a span of less than a year he has grown five inches and added more than 35 pounds of muscle .. this sudden growth spurt has given him more confidence in his ability .. cut in the mould of a power forward, Lowry is everywhere on the ice and likes to hit whenever he can .. has good polish in front and is a capable offensive player .. not blessed with an over powering shot, it is his sheer willingness to go to the net to bang in the garbage that pads his stats .. he jumps on loose pucks due to his speed and also his high compete level, as he simply wants it more than the opposition .. he is not nasty, rather an honest physical player .. he is not the most graceful skater but he makes the most out of his stride and generates good speed in a few short strides .. plays a game similar to Jason Arnott.

Ty Rattie (2011), RW, Portland

Rattie led Team Pacific with nine points in five games .. an incredibly smart and tricky player with the puck, as he possesses a wide array of stickhandling moves and is extremely patient with the puck .. manages to get the puck into prime scoring areas and is always dangerous when he crosses the line .. more of a playmaker than a natural finisher he had a hand in many timely and important goals throughout the tournament .. does such a great job in protecting the puck and finding the open man with no-look passes .. thrives on the PP, as the extra ice allows him to skate into better positions .. a knock-kneed skater whose appearance is not overly fluid or graceful .. has good size but is not physical, he relies on his positioning to stay involved in a play .. does not readily attack the boards or play down low .. Rattie is an offensive dynamo who has produced at every level.

Colin Smith (2011), C, Kamloops

Smith played in all situations and is the sum of his parts .. he played in 3-5 PK situations and maintained healthy stick position surrendering little to no ice to the opposition .. converges on loose pucks due to his game-reading skills .. he anticipates better than most players on the ice and has a knack for the puck always being around him or on his blade .. makes things happen in the offensive zone due to his quick stick and hockey sense .. has a surprising jump as his acceleration out of the gates (albeit choppy), manufactures good speed .. Smith continues to get better but now he needs to grow.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (2011), C, Red Deer

The former first overall pick is a gifted playmaker who played a dependable game and was a force with or without the puck .. always pushing the envelope to gain more real estate, but oddly enough can also play a perimeter game .. very creative with the puck and is always moving his feet .. employs a series of stop and starts to shake off defenders .. uncanny vision, he can thread the needle with a pass through a series of sticks .. a dogged forechecker, he competes as hard in the defensive zone as he does in the offensive zone .. finds a way to get behind the defence to capitalize on his chances and put himself in better scoring position .. good technique on draws .. Hopkins is averaging a point a game in the WHL and has the potential to be a top-10 pick in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.