U18 Evaluation Camp: Defensemen

More scouting on Canadian junior hopefuls who tried out for the U-18 roster at the Junior Cup currently taking place this week. David scouts five players including stand-out Taylor Ellington who will play for Everett of the WHL this coming season.

Karl Alzner (2007), D

Defender likes to carry the puck deep into the offensive zone .. feels comfortable and confident with the puck and makes good decisions with it .. skating is swift and he can, and most often will, try to beat his defensive counterparts to the outside .. strong enough on the boards that if they do catch him he can outmuscle them down low .. able to move bodies in front effectively .. rarely beaten down low in the defensive zone, as he plants his feet and looks to rid the puck by any means necessary.

Taylor Ellington (2007), D

Tall defender possesses a long, graceful stride and hits top speed in only a few steps .. moves very well laterally, as he is able to minimize space of the rushing forwards .. extremely comfortable with the puck and does not panic when making plays .. capable of some excellent outlet feeds, however he should hold on to the puck longer and rush with it past centre ice .. initiated physical contact and knocked many guys down with thunderous hits .. injured himself at camp (undisclosed), which may have prevented him from making the team .. outstanding potential and should be a defensive stalwart on a very promising Everett (WHL) team for the next two years.

Steve Ferry (2006), D

A reliable stay-at-home defender with some offensive capabilities .. skating is his finest asset; excellent mobility and foot speed .. usually hangs back and lets his partner pick up the offensive slack .. when he has the puck he is quite competent and makes relatively informed decisions to move the puck up the ice .. plays a smart game and recognizes the need to dump the puck in when an offensive play does not develop .. not overly physical, as he rarely looks to line a guy up, but he defends his goalie in front of the net and clears the crease.

Simon Danis-Pepin (2006), D

Tallest player at camp at 6-foot-6 .. questionable balance .. strong along the boards, as his frame allows him to push guys around and to the side .. skating is on the side of poor, as he is unable to change directions quickly, lacks a good first step and is constantly caught flat-footed .. makes a decent first pass but is at times prone to throwing the puck up the middle .. decision-making is too inconsistent for one's liking .. needs to use his stick more effectively .. defensively is unable to recognize the strengths of players and provides them with too much room in the offensive end * poor gaffing sills .. gave Toews far too much room to stickhandle around him, when he should have played him tight and tied him immediately .. one of the few guys at camp to play Midget Triple A, as opposed Major Junior A .. unfortunately for him, his weaknesses were very quickly exposed by the other kids.

Andrew Bodnarchuk (2006), D

Quite possible the best skater at camp .. silky smooth with excellent lateral movement .. moves better laterally than most defenders skate forward .. able to rid the puck out of the zone effictively, but must be mindful to not overplay the puck .. successfully able to beat the first man out of the zone, but the next step does not come as automatic .. relies more on positioning than brute strength to get the advantage on forwards in the defensive zone .. needs work on his upper body, as he was stripped off the puck .. especially vulnerable along the boards where forwards literally pushed him aside .. the same happened in front of the net where an attacker snuck up from behind and took the possession of the puck.